House sitter abandons dogs in home
Jackson Hole, WY (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Dec 20, 2007
County: Teton

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Carol Dee Price

A house sitter pleaded no contest to larceny and animal cruelty Wednesday [July 1, 2009] in 9th District Court.

Carol Dee Price, 44, faces up to 10 years in the Wyoming Women's Center and $10,000 in fines for stealing money and valuables from a house she was watching during the winter of 2007 and leaving the dogs she was sitting to fend for themselves.

In accordance with a plea agreement, the county attorney dismissed one count of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor. Price accepted a conviction on one count of animal cruelty and one count of larceny by bailee. Any sentence on the two charges will be served simultaneously, according to the agreement.

Price pleaded no contest "for several reasons," her court-appointed attorney Rob Stepans said. He requested a restitution hearing before Price is sentenced because there are discrepancies in the amount of money she owes the victims in the case.

Price admitted to the facts of the case, which allege that a couple paid her $200 to watch their house from Dec. 20, 2007, to Jan. 2, 2008. When they returned home, there were no tire tracks in the snow and the dogs had defecated and urinated all over the house.

There was so much urine the wood floors were buckling, according to court records. Several American Gold Eagle coins and a Mexican coin collection were missing along with a check book and a $40 Smith's gift card.

Price could not be reached. She said in a note that she'd gone to Mississippi and left her friend to watch the house. But authorities never found the friend. Price's references said her husband was arrested in Texas. The couple received a phone bill that included $600 in collect calls.

Price will be sentenced after a pre-sentence report is completed, which typically takes five to seven weeks.

References

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