WASHINGTON COUNTY, Penn. (September 10, 2024) — In Defense of Animals is disappointed April Sloane will avoid jail time after being charged with animal cruelty for starving her dog Thor to death. 

In December 2023, an anonymous tip led to a search warrant being served on the Washington County Controller’s home by the North Strabane Township Police. 

Thor's lifeless body was found wrapped in a garbage bag. It was estimated that he had been dead for almost two weeks at the time investigators discovered his body. Thor's necropsy determined that he had no body fat and weighed only 20 pounds — about half of what he should have weighed. 

On December 12, Sloane was arrested for aggravated animal cruelty. She was free on an unsecured bond, but that was revoked this summer after it was discovered she was living with an animal. She posted the $150,000 cash bond and has been free awaiting trial. 

More than 11,600 people signed In Defense of Animals’ letter to Washington County District Attorney Jason M. Walsh urging strong sentencing, a mental health evaluation and prison time. 

However, Sloane accepted a plea deal ahead of her court date scheduled for this week that allows her to avoid jail, requiring instead she plead guilty to third-degree felony aggravated animal cruelty, serve five years of probation and resign as county controller by Sept. 30. 

“It’s outrageous that Sloane was able to avoid serious consequences for the inexcusable suffering she caused, especially considering she worked as a public servant,” said Doll Stanley, Justice for Animals Senior Campaigner for In Defense of Animals. “While she now has a felony cruelty charge on her record, we must do more to hold those who abuse vulnerable members of our society accountable.” 

Contact: Doll Stanley, doll@idausa.org, (662) 809-4483

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a 41-year history of defending animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, California, and rural Mississippi. www.idausa.org/justice4animals

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