COLBERT COUNTY, Ala. — UPDATE (5/7/2024): A court date has now been set for the woman who's accused of abusing dozens of animals in Colbert County. Debra Catledge's arraignment date is set for June 20th. Catledge currently faces 41 animal abuse charges with a bond of $80,000.
UPDATE (2/14/2024): Debra Catledge is expected to appear in court for a bench trial on Animal Cruelty and Obstruction charges on March 4, 2024.
UPDATE (11/9): The woman accused of leaving dozens of animals to die on her property in various stages of neglect has been ordered to pay more than $10,000 in restitution to Colbert County Animal Services.
In documents filed this week, it was revealed that Debra Catledge failed to appear in the civil suit brought against her by the animal shelter, prompting a default judgement. Catledge must pay $10,802 within 30 days. She is also barred from regaining custody of any of the surviving animals associated with the investigation.
Catledge reportedly has 14 days to appeal the decision. A trial on criminal charges of animal abuse and obstruction is scheduled for January 8.
Our original reporting of this story continues below:
Colbert County Animal Services wants to ensure that the woman charged with more than a dozen counts of animal neglect will not have the chance to regain custody of the surviving animals found on her property. More than two dozen dead horses and two dead dogs were found on farmland connected to 63-year-old Debra Catledge in late September, as well as dozens more dogs found in various stages of neglect.
Court documents filed on Thursday show that Colbert County Animal Services is requesting a hearing to officially determine that Catledge was the owner of the animals found on the property.
They are also asking the court to determine that Catledge is "unable, unwilling, or unfit to adequately provide for or protect" the surviving dogs and prevent her from regaining custody of the animals.
The documents also show that the shelter intends to ask a judge for Catledge to pay all costs associated with the recovery efforts that took place at the property.
A hearing date has not yet been set on this matter.
Catledge was booked in the Colbert County Jail on the animal abuse charges plus one charge of obstructing government operations; she was released Oct. 1 on $12,250 bond. She is due to make a court appearance on these charges on Nov. 6.
Volunteers spent several days corralling and tending to wounds on the dogs and horses found alive at the Cherokee property. The documents filed this week pertain only to the 46 dogs found alive, which Colbert County Animal Services said have all remained in their custody ever since.
Court records show Catledge pleaded guilty to three charges in an animal cruelty case in 2014; a plea agreement from that court proceeding reads in part, "[Defendant] shall no longer be allowed to breed dogs and discovery of a breeding operation shall be a violation of the conditions of her suspended sentence."
