COLUMBIA, Md. — A judge has sentenced a Columbia couple to jail for their involvement in a July 2019 animal cruelty case.
Elizabeth Lindenau, 49, will spend 30 days behind bars beginning June 1, while Brady Decker, 47, started a 90 day sentence on Wednesday.
Both were found guilty in January on 11 of 16 animal cruelty related charges.
It all started when Howard County Animal Control got an anonymous call about a horrible stench coming from the couple's home in the 9400 block of Hundred Drums Row.
The couple initially refused to speak with or allow Animal Control Officers inside, forcing them to get a search warrant.
About a week later when officers made their way in, they were met with a strong odor of urine and trash piled high throughout the home.
They discovered 59 live animals including 39 birds, 11 dogs, 5 cats, 2 snakes, 2 turtles, 42 deceased birds, and other small animals in their freezers.
All animals ended up being removed from the home.
Upon their release Lindenau and Decker will each spend three years on supervised probation, during which time they won't be allowed to have any animals.
