Charges filed against woman accused of dumping puppies

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office officially filed charges against the Coachella woman accused of throwing puppies in a dumpster.

Last Thursday, surveillance video captured 54-year-old Deborah Sue Culwell leaving a plastic bag filled with seven puppies near a dumpster outside the Napa Auto Parts on Grapefruit Boulevard.

Authorities said a good Samaritan passing by the dumpster found the puppies and brought them to the front of the store and a NAPA employee contacted Animal Services. With temperatures well above 90 degrees, authorities said it was unlikely the puppies would have survived the heat. Today, it was announced that one of the puppies did not survive. The remaining six puppies appear to be thriving.

Read: One of seven puppies thrown in Coachella dumpster dies

Riverside County Animal Services arrested Culwell at her home on Monday. Court documents revealed Animal Control officers found Culwell after interviewing the original owner of the Jeep captured in the surveillance video. The owner told officers “she lets her daughter drive it occasionally.” Officers showed the owner the video, who identified the woman as Culwell.

Animal control recovered another 38 dogs from Culwell’s residence. The dogs are being held at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus. Authorities said the dogs can’t be put up for adoption until Culwell either goes through the legal process first or signs over the dogs.

Culwell is currently being charged $570 in board and care fees for each day that the 38 dogs remain in Animal Services custody.

How you can help the puppies tossed at a Coachella dumpster

Cullwell was released from jail on Tuesday after posting a $10,000 bail. The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office officially charged Cullwell will seven counts of felony animal cruelty and seven counts of misdemeanor animal abandonment.

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