Missouri woman gets 12 years for animal abuse
The Official KFVS12 and Heartland News Web Site | Mo. woman gets 12 years for animal abuse
Associated Press - February 18, 2009 1:04 PM ET
FARMINGTON, Mo. (AP) - An eastern Missouri woman is sentenced to 12 year in prison for neglecting her dogs.
The sentence for 46-year-old Tamara Lynn Benscoter of Park Hills was handed down Friday.
Police in Iron Mountain were called to Benscoter's former home twice in September. Six dogs were seized. Authorities said the animals were infested with fleas and lacked adequate food and water.
In 2004, Benscoter and her husband, Fred H. Benscoter, were charged with 70 counts of misdemeanor animal abuse. In that instance, the Humane Society of Missouri seized 119 animals from another property. Both were sentenced to probation, though Fred Benscoter later was sentenced to a year in jail for violating his probation.