Iowa woman charged with numerous counts of child endangerment, animal neglect pleads guilty

WASHINGTON, Iowa (KCRG) – A Washington, Iowa, woman has pleaded guilty to several charges, including child endangerment, after police said they found dead animals and black mold in the home where she and four children were living.

A criminal complaint says the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services conducted a welfare check on the living conditions of four minor children at a home in the 600 block of South Marion Avenue on Dec. 13, 2024.

Police said Teresa Richmond, the children’s maternal grandmother, was living at the home at the time, and told officers she is a caretaker for the children.

Following the welfare check, police conducted a search warrant on Dec. 20, 2024.

During the search, police found 24 live dogs, five live cats and three dead animals (one dog, one hedgehog and a bearded dragon).

Officers said there was urine and fecal matter throughout the home, and black mold in the basement due to a broken sewer pipe.

According to law enforcement, all the living animals were in poor condition, and Richmond was unable to provide proof of Rabies Vaccination for one of the dogs.

Richmond was charged with four counts of Child Endangerment, seven counts of Animal Neglect, three counts of Failure to Provide Current Rabies Vaccination, and three counts of Failure to Dispose of a Deceased Animal.

Court documents filed on Thursday say the court accepted Richmond’s guilty plea to one charge of failure to dispose of a dead animal. The two other charges of failure to dispose of a dead animal have been dropped.

The court also accepted her guilty plea to three of the animal neglect charges and one of the rabies vaccination violations. The rest were dismissed. The court also accepted her plea of guilty to the child endangerment charges.

A sentencing hearing is set for March 13.

Two other adults were also charged in relation to this case. John Zaiss, 35, and Heather Egbert, 37, were charged with four counts of child endangerment each.

Paws and More, a Washington County animal shelter, took in the surviving animals following the arrests of Zaiss and Egbert.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services took in the four children that were found at the home.

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