Oakland County woman convicted of animal neglect

The Pontiac girl accused of operating an unlawful animal shelter has been discovered responsible of animal neglect.

Karmen Alletia Schooly, 48, was charged with failing to offer ample look after 25 or extra animals and was convicted of a third-degree felony Wednesday in Oakland County Circuit Court docket. She faces a jail sentence of as much as seven years, fines of as much as $10,000 and group service of as much as 500 hours. The court docket revoked her bond. She is going to stay within the Oakland County Jail till her sentencing date, January 21, 2026.

“This verdict sends a transparent message that animal neglect won’t be tolerated in Oakland County,” mentioned Bob Gatt, supervisor of the Oakland County Animal Shelter and Pet Adoption Middle. “Our animal management officers and shelter employees acted rapidly and compassionately to guard these animals and guarantee they acquired the care they desperately wanted.”

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald mentioned the jury’s verdict “holds Karmen Schooly accountable and hopefully prevents her from abusing extra animals sooner or later.”

“Animal cruelty is a criminal offense that we take severely. I’m grateful to Oakland County Animal Management for rescuing these animals from deplorable situations and for bringing this case,” McDonald mentioned.

Schooly based TriCounty Canine Rescue in 2018 and operated it out of a house at 994 Argyle St. in Pontiac. The Inner Income Service granted TriCounty nonprofit standing in 2018. However officers with the Michigan Division of Agriculture and Rural Improvement informed The Oakland Press Schooly that he didn’t have a state-required allow to conduct an animal rescue, or a allow to import animals from different states.

She was charged in Oakland County after county officers eliminated 29 canines and eight cats from the Argyle Road residence in September 2024. One of many cats was sick and needed to be euthanized.

She was additionally charged with working an unregistered animal shelter, a misdemeanor punishable by penalties of as much as 90 days in jail and/or a fantastic of as much as $500.

It’s the third case through which Schooly has been accused of improper care of a number of animals.

In 2024, Macomb County charged Schooly with one misdemeanor rely of animal abuse/abandonment, one misdemeanor rely of unauthorized observe as a veterinarian/well being skilled and one misdemeanor rely of working an unlicensed animal shelter.

She had seven puppies positioned with Alicia Coleman of Lenox Township in 2023. Then two puppies turned in poor health with the extremely contagious canine parvovirus. Coleman paid for his or her veterinary care and so they survived. Schooly refused to take again any of the canines or reimburse Coleman, who discovered a house for one of many puppies and took the remainder to Macomb County Animal Management, which documented greater than $70,000 in look after the canines the next yr.

In January 2024, Choose William Hackel III ordered Schooly to repay MCAC $70,255 for the canines’ care. When she could not pay, she forfeited the canines to the county. Every canine was efficiently positioned in an adoptive residence.

Schooly rejected a Macomb plea deal that might have dropped the unauthorized observe cost if she agreed to not personal animals except they had been licensed by Oakland County, and she or he agreed to random inspection by Oakland County Animal Management. Macomb County Circuit Court docket Choose Julie Gatti additionally offered a month-to-month cost plan for the $70,255 throughout Schooly’s probation. Schooly rejected the deal, however the case was later dismissed when the court docket dominated she ought to have been charged in Oakland County.

In April 2021, Schooly was charged with animal neglect in Wayne County after she accepted 10 puppies from Kentucky and gave them to a Redford Township couple who agreed to foster the animals. After a neighbor complained, police took the puppies to the Michigan Humane Society. Redford Township Police issued 10 prices towards Schooly for violating the Redford Township Animal Cruelty Ordinance. The case ended up within the Michigan Court docket of Appeals. The judgment of that courtissued in July, said that town “acted past its lawful authority” by charging Schooly as a result of the puppies had been picked up in Pontiac. The jury mentioned allegations that the puppies had fleas and had been dehydrated weren’t supported by information from the Michigan Humane Society.

Oakland County animal management officers visited the Argyle Road residence seven occasions between 2020 and 2022, together with after a canine escaped from a foster residence and had a litter of puppies and a canine in a foster residence was accused of biting a customer.

Pontiac Code Enforcement officers checked the Argyle Road residence seven occasions between 2020 and 2023 after neighbors repeatedly complained that too many animals had been being stored. The town issued two code violation tickets to Schooly and two to the house’s co-owner, Gary Schuster, together with one for working a kennel with out a allow.

On September 27, 2024, Oakland County animal management officers eliminated 37 animals from the Argyle Road residence and documented abuse and negligent situations, Gatt mentioned on the time.

Macomb County Animal Management Division Director Jeff Randazzo mentioned he hopes the choose takes into consideration what he referred to as Schooly’s sample of conduct when sentencing her.

He pointed to her choice to proceed importing animals from overseas even after a choose informed her to cease.

“She abused animals in three provinces,” he mentioned. “I feel she ought to obtain the complete sentence. The choose has the chance to point out that they take animal neglect and abuse severely.”

He mentioned he hopes Schooly will get all of the psychological well being care she wants and referred to as the instances heartbreaking.

Randazzo mentioned that whereas Schooly’s case is “sadly not the worst I’ve seen,” each particular person accused of animal abuse and neglect needs to be handled as a person.

“We are saying, ‘In the event you see one thing, say one thing,’” he mentioned, including, “In Macomb, we do not contemplate all conditions to be punitive. We have now … plenty of schooling and assist for folks in sure conditions the place it’s a case of ignorance and they’re open to alter.”

He would additionally prefer to see the legal guidelines change in order that animals are positioned in a separate class as sentient beings, fairly than being considered as property.