2 people arrested on probable cause for animal cruelty

COLLEGE PLACE – College Place police arrested Benjamin William Tucker Read, 21, of College Place, and Austen Dean Devaney, 19, also of College Place, on probable cause for 22 counts of animal cruelty in the first degree, which is a class C felony. Police say the animals were left in living conditions for nearly two months with no food or water, causing nearly all of them to perish.

Read was arrested Tuesday afternoon and Devaney was arrested Wednesday night. Formal charges have not been filed, and both have been released on their own recognizance following their first appearances in Walla Walla County Superior Court. Arraignment is scheduled for June 2. Read was released on his own recognizance by Judge Patricia Fulton on May 21. Devaney was released with no charges filed by Judge Patricia Fulton on May 22.

The arrests followed a welfare check request at an apartment on the 200 block of North College Avenue on Sunday morning. The caller expressed concern for the animals, specifically two barking dogs that had never been seen outside by the reporting party, a neighbor.

Officers observed through a window that the apartment was in extremely poor condition, filled with dried feces, garbage, several dead birds, and two German shepherds. The floor contained animal bones and fur, and a jar on the back porch held cut-off bird feet in a white powder. The apartment manager permitted the officers to enter for the animals’ safety.

According to the police report, the smell inside was overwhelming, even with masks. The scene contained feces, bones, and animal parts. The two dogs were very thirsty and friendly. Both received food and water before being placed in an officer’s patrol vehicle. Both dogs were taken to Blue Mountain Humane Society in Walla Walla. One dog had a foot injury. While both dogs appeared healthy, their fur was matted, and they had no food or water in the apartment. The apartment’s bathroom toilet lid was closed with no water in the bathtub. In a bedroom, officers found three live peafowls and at least seven confirmed dead tropical birds like parrots without food or water.

Neighbors mentioned two cats in the apartment, but no cats were found. There were small bones and cat fur on the floor. Attempts to contact the landlord were unsuccessful. Read’s passport was found, revealing his connection to the apartment, and the apartment manager reported that Read hadn’t been seen for months despite paying rent. The apartment manager had notified the landlord about the smell of dead animals multiple times, but there was no action taken.

On Monday, officers returned to retrieve the birds, and one of the live birds had died since the last visit. They found nine more dead birds, accumulating a total of 16. There was also a dead lizard. Officers checked the freezer and discovered several more dead animals, including a full-sized owl, a full-sized eagle or hawk, a cougar, and some an unspecified animal inside. CPPD stated it appeared that the two suspects were attempting to operate a taxidermy business.

Washington State Fish and Wildlife is investigating the case due to a prior history with Read and Devaney and subsequently has obtained a search warrant, recovering around 22 illegal items. Those items included a whole cougar pelt, two river otters, an owl, a red tail hawk, several coyote furs and more. Elkhorn Media Group contacted WDFW Police who said they had nothing further to add about the case at this time. CPPD reports that the remaining living animals were taken to get proper care and shelter.

Photo by College Place Police Department

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Elkhorn Media Group