Kathy J. Williams, 55, is scheduled for a jury trial in late February on five counts of mistreating animals and two counts of providing animals with insufficient ventilation. She and three others were charged after 42 dogs, mostly Great Danes, were seized in May from a home near Brodhead. Williams has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Williams was cited for animal neglect multiple times in Fitchburg and Madison in 2006 and 2007, according to accounts from Fitchburg police and Dane County Animal Control presented by prosecutors as evidence in the Green County case.
A Fitchburg building inspector denied a kennel application for Williams' residence in October 2007 after finding 14 Great Danes living "in various rooms in the first floor and basement" with "strong odors of urine, piles of feces and an infestation of flies."
She was cited for barking dogs on several occasions in the weeks following the inspection, according to documents filed in Green County Court.
Earlier that year, Williams reportedly was keeping 15 Great Danes at a residence on Madison's west side. Animal control officers responded to numerous complaints that the dogs were "running at large, biting neighbors and pedestrians," according to court documents.
In the early months of 2006, Dane County Animal Control found 20 adult and puppy Great Danes in her care at a residence on Madison's south side, according to the documents.
Officers "observed piles of feces in the yard around the residence after responding to numerous complaints that said Great Dane dogs were running at large and creating a nuisance in the neighborhood," according to the documents.
Care for the dogs seized in May has cost Green County almost $48,000. The Green County Humane Society has found homes for all eligible dogs and their 17 puppies except for one, Elle, a 1-year-old Great Dane.
Williams' case is scheduled for trial Tuesday, Feb. 28, and Wednesday, Feb. 29.
Among the three others charged with mistreating the dogs, Allyson Williams and Donovan Williams pleaded no contest to some counts and are in deferred prosecution. The case against Melissa Harrel is pending.
(Walworth County Today - Dec 30, 2011)
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