Most serious charge dropped against 76-year-old Erie woman in animal hoarding, abuse case

An Erie woman accused of hoarding and abusing nearly 50 animals at her city residence will not face the most serious charge that an Erie Humane Society cruelty investigator filed against her as the woman's criminal case heads to trial.

Erie County prosecutors on Monday withdrew a felony count of aggravated cruelty to animals along with dozens of summary counts of neglect of animals as 76-year-old Diane Eggleston appeared in court for her preliminary hearing.

Eggleston waived six other charges to court at the hearing, including a second-degree misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals and four summary counts of neglect, according to court records.

Eggleston remains free on unsecured bond.

The Humane Society investigator filed 90 charges against Eggleston in early August in an investigation that was launched following an animal cruelty complaint the Humane Society received in late May. Authorities who went to a Lighthouse Street residence after two people said they witnessed a woman stomping a dog said they found 30 dogs and 17 cats inside the residence.

The majority of the animals were locked — two per cage — around their own feces and urine and suffered from medical conditions, officials reported in August.

The dogs and cats were relinquished to the Humane Society when a search warrant was served on the Lighthouse Street residence on May 25, said Lisa Stiles, the Humane Society's chief cruelty officer. The animals were treated and later put up for adoption, and as of Thursday all of the dogs and most of the cats had been adopted, Stiles said.

Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.