2 charged with animal cruelty after several malnourished dogs found in West Virginia

MINGO COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — Two people were arrested after deputies said they found several malnourished dogs at a home in West Virginia.

Joey Lester, 34, and Billie Coleman, 32, both of Baisden, were each charged with five counts of animal cruelty after an investigation on Sunday, according to a criminal complaint filed in Mingo County Magistrate Court.

Joey Lester

Billie Coleman

Deputies responded to a home after they received a tip about animals that appeared to be neglected.

They initially found one dog “very malnourished” inside the home. When they asked Lester if there were more dogs, he led authorities to three dogs that were kept in a dog lot in the backyard, the complaint said.

Deputies said the dogs had no shelter, no food and no water, and their ribs and other bones were visible. Lester and Coleman told investigators the dogs belonged to them, the complaint said.

Another malnourished dog and five newborn puppies were also found in a “clear tote” on the porch, according to the criminal complaint.

Deputies said they got food and fed the dogs, noting that they all ate very fast “as if they had not been fed in numerous days.”