WALKER, Mich. — 13 ON YOUR SIDE has obtained body camera footage from the Kent County Sheriff's Department that shows the moments when they seized more than a dozen dogs living in a pickup truck with their owner.
The video shows officers removing the dogs from the truck and speaking to the dogs' owner, Carolyn Newsome.
Newsome, 61, was arrested in Oct. after she was discovered to be living with 17 dogs in her truck.
When officers asked Newsome how many dogs were inside the truck, she told them she had "a couple." She said she cleaned the truck that same morning and kept plenty of food and water on-hand for the dogs. Police are heard disagreeing with these statements in the footage.
She appeared in court Oct. 28 and was formally charged with failing to provide ten or more animals with adequate care.
The situation was brought to the authorities' attention when someone saw the dogs piled up in a red Chevy Silverado in a Dollar Tree parking lot in Walker. The person called 911 out of concern for the animals.
According to court documents, authorities found the dogs malnourished, covered in feces and without access to water.
Newsome continually denied the poor living conditions of the dogs.
Authorities took the dogs to a nearby animal shelter to get cleaned up, fed and given water.
"Upon arrival at the shelter, the dogs quickly drank an abundance of water and ate an abundance of food, further showing that they were hungry and dehydrated," the Animal Control Officer said in court documents.
Newsome is facing up to four years in prison, a $5,000 fine and 500 hours of community service.
Strong language can be heard in the body camera footage. Viewer discretion is advised.
