WIRT ANIMAL CRUELTY CASE RESULTS IN ARREST

(07/25/2011)
The Wirt County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest in the animal cruelty case where eleven animals were taken from a trailer at Spring Valley, some of them dead.

The owner, according to news reports, moved out-of-state and left a local woman in charge of their keep.

Wirt County Sheriff Keith Wilson arrested Elizabeth Smith of Elizabeth, charging her with 11 counts of animal cruelty.

Each count could be punishable by up to one year in jail and or a $500 fine.

Smith's daughter, Kathern Gibson, told Parkersburg media, her mother has done nothing wrong.

She claims her mother helped remove and find new homes for over 20 animals from the same trailer and when she took on the challenge of caring for the 11 animals left in the trailer, she got more than she bargained for.

Gibson also claims her mother looked for help from area agencies but couldn't find anyone to assist her.