Nowata County Woman Found Guilty Of Cruelty To Animals

A Nowata County woman has been found guilty of cruelty to animals. A Nowata County court jury took just under four hours Thursday to reach its verdict in the case against 35-year-old Carolyn Vaughn.

The charge stemmed from a search of Vaughn's rural Nowata County property in May 2010.

During the search, a number of dogs were seized from what deputies called a "puppy mill."

Nowata County Sheriff's deputies found the dogs living in what they said were horrible conditions.

Deputies told News On 6 the bottoms of some of the pens were made of wire, so the dogs lived above a mixture of feces, urine and spoiled food. They also say many of the dogs were malnourished and dehydrated.

Following the verdict, Vaughn was ordered to pay a $2,500 fine plus more than $5,000 in court costs.

A co-defendant, Wesley Griner, 40, is still awaiting his trial.  His trial date has been delayed a number of times. His next court date is February 1, 2012.

10/6/2010 Related Story: Alleged Nowata Puppy Mill Owner To Stand Trial