Woman pleads guilty in Granite Falls animal cruelty case
Published 12:01 am Thursday, March 17, 2011
EVERETT — A former Granite Falls woman pleaded guilty Wednesday to six counts of animal cruelty.
Prosecutors say they will recommend a year in jail for Diane Cowling, 55. That’s the maximum sentence under the law. They also asked the court to bar Cowling from owning animals.
Cowling’s negligence caused a substantial amount of pain, suffering and death to the cats in her care, prosecutors said.
Granite Falls police on Jan. 21 discovered nearly three dozen dead cats and dogs inside the house Cowling had shared with her son, Michael Cowling, 36. The house was in foreclosure and the Cowlings had moved out.
Michael Cowling pleaded guilty Tuesday to six counts of animal cruelty. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 22.
Prosecutors on Wednesday asked for a few weeks to prepare before sentencing. They said they hoped to combine the Cowlings’ hearings next month. Meanwhile, Diane Cowling’s sentencing was tentatively set for April 25.
Prosecutors charged mother and son with six counts each of animal cruelty, under the theory that the pair’s negligence led to the dehydration and starvation of six cats.
