By Corinne Murdock |
Animal abusers have a greater chance of getting away with their crimes under current Arizona law, according to Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
The county attorney and animal welfare advocates are working to change that. In a press conference on Tuesday related to the nationally-highlighted case of serial animal abuser April McLaughlin, Mitchell urged state lawmakers to pass proposed legislation like SB1047 to make it easier to bring charges against animal abusers.
“Anytime that we can further narrow the definition of words like ‘water’ and ‘food’ and ‘shelter,’ and make it more explainable, it’s going to help us be more successful in prosecution,” said Mitchell. “So it’s not just ‘water,’ it’s ‘water that’s fit for consumption,’ as an example, so we’re removing the ambiguity.”
McLaughlin — also known by other aliases like “Sydney Taylor McKinley,” “April Addison,” and “Tay McKinley,” in addition to an alleged additional dozen other aliases — faces around 80 misdemeanors and eight felony charges related to animal abuse committed under her nonprofit rescue, Special Needs Animal Welfare League (SNAWL). Most of the misdemeanor charges are pending in the Chandler municipal court, with the remainder in the Maricopa County Superior Court.
An investigation last September, prompted by a viral social media campaign, discovered 55 severely neglected special-needs dogs living in deplorable living conditions and five puppies deceased in a freezer. Of the 55 rescued, at least five have been euthanized.
The campaign that inspired the investigation into McLaughlin and some of her victims is evidenced through hashtags like #chandler55 and the account dedicated to exposing McLaughlin, “clydethesuperhusky_truth.” The latter account dates back to 2019.
However, animal welfare advocates have claimed that McLaughlin has hoarded special-needs dogs for years in the state under her various aliases — and that they attempted to get law enforcement involved, to no avail. Those advocates also say that McLaughlin would diagnose some healthy dogs with disabilities.
Under the alias “April Addison,” McLaughlin started a different special needs dog rescue nonprofit called “Special Pawz” several years ago. With exposure of the alleged abuse under that nonprofit, McLaughlin shuttered the organization before relaunching as SNAWL.
McLaughlin achieved social media fame, for a time, earning her video features and interviews with popular national programs and organizations like Inside Edition and The Dodo.
McLaughlin attempted to recover ownership rights to 13 of those dogs; her petition was denied in Chandler, which she appealed. Earlier this month, the superior court denied that appeal.
McLaughlin pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday in the superior court.
Present at the press conference were members of the Arizona Humane Society (AHS), who partnered with State Sen. T.J. Shope (R-LD) to craft SB1047.
AHS also assisted in submitting evidence worthy of pressing animal abuse charges against McLaughlin, after charges were initially dropped against her due to an initial need for more evidence. AHS had previously conducted wellness checks on McLaughlin’s residence.
AHS reported that it responded to 15,000 calls for service and opened 10,000 animal abuse investigations last year — a 21 percent increase from 2022.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
