Authorities on Monday confirmed the arrest of a woman accused of dumping seven newborn puppies into a California dumpster.
Deborah Sue Culwell,54, was arrested Monday by Riverside County Animal Services Commander Chris Mayer at her Coachella home.
Culwell was seen stepping out of a white Jeep, peering into a dumpster used for recyclables, then dropping a bag filled with the puppies into a pile of trash behind a car part store in Coachella California Thursday before driving away.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the puppies were three days old and found by a passerby. If not for the passerby’s actions, the puppies may not have survived much longer in the 90-degree weather.
Authorities said Culwell’s home contained about 30 additional dogs that needed to be impounded at a shelter.
Culwell is facing up to seven counts of felony animal cruelty. According to NBC Los Angeles, the puppies are being cared for at a foster home, so young they have to be bottle fed.
