Woman convicted of animal cruelty found with goats, cats

A Lincoln County woman found guilty last June on eight felonies and a misdemeanor for animal cruelty faces alleged violations of her suspended sentence.

Cathie Warren was sentenced June 6, 2017, to eight, two-year, consecutive sentences for the felonies and an additional consecutive 6 months for the misdemeanor. She was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and $67,432.42 in restitution to the county for the care and sheltering of the 67 dogs and six donkeys associated with the charges.

Warren was prohibited from owning or having any animals on her property. Judge Matt Cuffe did allow her husband, Michael Odegaard, to keep a puppy, but it was to remain always in his control, staying with him when he went to work or traveled.

According to a report of violation by parole Officer Darrell Vanderhoof, Vanderhoof and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office animal control Officer James Derryberry went to Warren’s Libby residence on May 31 after a complaint that she had goats or sheep on the property.

Officers found goats in a pen on the property.

When Warren emerged from the home, Vanderhoof reported she said the goats in the pen were on land she was leasing out to Odegaard, from whom she said she was estranged.

When asked who owned the goats, she responded that Odegaard was leasing the land.

In the house, Vanderhoof found a cat with two kittens in a cage. He also found alcohol and weapons in the residence, which is prohibited under Warren’s supervisory release.

Vanderhoof reported that Warren would not give him a straight answer regarding where Odegaard resides.

While Vanderhoof was removing the weapons and alcohol, Odegaard returned to the residence. Vanderhoof told Odegaard not to do anything with the cats and goats, as they may be needed as evidence.

According to Vanderhoof’s report, Odegaard said that the goats belongs to Warren and, “he doesn’t know what to do with her, she won’t listen and does whatever she wants.”

In the report, Vanderhoof noted that Warren has been reminded several times that she cannot possess animals and has disregarded the reminders.

In August 2016, a warrant was executed at Warren’s dog breeding and kennel operation outside Libby. The investigation began in April after a noise complaint led Lincoln County Animal Control and the county Health Department to the property.

During the April visit, Wendy Anderson, of County Animal Care and Control, and Kathi Hooper, of the County Health Department, described dogs living in “deplorable conditions,” including descriptions of 32 dogs packed into small wire crates, stacked on top of each other inside a 10-foot-by-10-foot room with no food or water.

According to that same report, a bullwhip was found and Warren claimed that she would smack the bullwhip against a tarp to keep the dogs quiet.

Warren did have a license to operate, but it only permitted 20 dogs, and more than 50 were present in April 2016.

On June 30, Hooper and Anderson returned to the property with Lincoln County Sheriff Roby Bowe, and found the conditions hadn’t changed.

After Bowe returned to the property in July with Melissa Genovese, a veterinarian at Whitefish Animal Hospital, a report filed by Genovese noted that Warren admitted to underfeeding the dogs to either slow their growth or prevent diarrhea.

Given the lack of feces, Genovese postulated that the dogs were possibly eating their own excriment because they had no food, and noted the dogs were malnourished.

On Aug. 2, 2016, Lincoln County officials seized 54 dogs, six donkeys and 60 parakeets from Warren’s property. An additional 13 puppies were born after the seizure.