Woman faces felony charges for animal cruelty

A Creston woman accused of hoarding dozens of dogs in the poor living conditions of her home faces multiple charges of animal cruelty.

Muriel Everly, 70, has been charged with one count of felony aggravated animal cruelty and a subsequent count of animal cruelty.

A total of 37 dogs were seized from Everly’s property where Flathead County Sheriff’s officers found the animals living in roughly four inches of their own feces. Two of the dogs had to be euthanized do to the severity of their health issues and a third dog is reportedly in critical condition.

The surviving dogs were taken to the county shelter. Some of the dogs are now available for adoption after Everly relinquished the rights to the animals to the county.

Everly was ordered to appear in court March 16. If convicted, she faces a possible $1,000 fine and one year imprisonment, with graduating penalty enhancements for subsequent convictions.