A decision was reached late on Wednesday, October 25th when a jury of 12 returned their verdicts in the case of an Elmwood puppy breeder. The Pierce County jury took just 6 hours before they delivered 62 guilty verdicts against Stuart Earl West in the maltreatment of labrador dogs found in deplorable conditions, including some adult dogs packed 3 to a single kennel enclosure, and numerous dead dogs on his rural property in April of 2016 .He received six guilty verdicts relating to improper animal shelter space, 48 on counts of failure to provide proper food and water to animals and eight counts of animal mistreatment. A tip from a potential buyer brought the contingent of Humane Society volunteers to the property where more than 60 animals of all ages were kept. Once removed from the property, several ultimately died and more than 30 puppies were born while in SPCA care. The Pierce County District Attorney also asked that the bond be revoked for West, although the judge did not grant that request. A report this summer brought bail jumping charges to the defendent when he violated the terms of the bond by attempting to set up another breeding operation despite prohibition for him to have no direct contact with animals. Sentencing for West on the charges has been set for Nov. 30.
