Woman on house arrest, accused of taking puppies

An out-of-state animal rescue group will take the remaining six puppies, the deputy warden said.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — An Austintown woman remains on house arrest on a charge of breaking and entering after authorities said she took puppies from the Mahoning County Dog Pound on Industrial Road.

Kate Beth Shearer, 34, of South Anderson Road, is accused of taking three pit bull puppies from a secure animal housing area Wednesday evening.

Dave Nelson, deputy dog warden, said another deputy at the pound was alerted that someone was taking animals out of the building and stopped Shearer in the parking lot.

She had one puppy with her and the animal was recovered by the deputy, Nelson said, adding that two other puppies were missing and hadn’t been found as of Monday night.

“I know the detectives were working on it with our office, but we’ve come up with nothing yet,” he said.

The six remaining puppies are still at the pound, but once they are spayed or neutered, an out-of-state animal rescue group will take them, Nelson said Monday.

Shearer was arrested at her home on a warrant around 2:45 p.m. Thursday. She was arraigned Friday and released on house arrest.

A person identifying himself as Shearer’s husband, Ken, sent The Vindicator an e-mail Thursday saying his wife was arrested for trying to save puppies at the pound. The pound had eight pit bull puppies that were scheduled to be put to death because of their breed, the e-mail said, adding that Kate Shearer “did what she had to do to try to save as many puppies as she could.”

Nelson said Ohio law doesn’t allow the adoption of pit bulls. Only the owner can claim a dog of that breed, and the pound was holding the puppies for three days to give the owner an opportunity to do that, he said.

No one knows to whom the puppies belong, he said. A woman brought them to the pound Tuesday saying she had found them abandoned along a road, Nelson said.

Shearer was not a volunteer at the pound but was in the company of some other people who do volunteer at the facility when the puppies were taken, Nelson said.