Nancy Santos appears in court via video from the jail.
A Galloway Township woman faces 43 counts of animal neglect after police say they found seven animals dead and another three dozen living in inhumane conditions.
Nancy Santos' Cresson Avenue home was "covered in animal feces and urine" and looked like it "had not been cleaned for a long duration of time," according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by BreakingAC.
Officers from the Human Law Enforcement Unit searched the home as part of investigation into reports of numerous animals living in inhumane conditions, police said.
Most of the seven dogs and 29 cats found living in the home had some sort of bodily injury, including open sores, cuts, poor grooming and fleas, the affidavit states.
A dead kitten was found on the living room floor with three others on a laundry machine.
Two dead adult dogs and an adult cat were found inside a freezer.
Santos, 57, appeared briefly in court via video from the Atlantic County Justice Facility on Tuesday.
She was told of her charges, which she said she understood. Santos then was told the state did not move to detain her.
The public safety assessment, used to help decide whether a defendant is detained under bail reform, gave her the lowest score possible, with a one for failure to appear and a one for safety risk.
Public defender Christina Naughton said the court should follow the recommendation of releasing Santos without conditions, since Santos has no criminal history.
But Assistant Prosecutor Nicole Campellone asked that Santos be put on Level 1 release, which requires checking in with the court, due to the number of charges.
Judge Thomas Keywood agreed, releasing her with instructions to check in with the court.
The dogs were relocated with help from Kimmy's Safe Haven Rescue, the Atlantic County Animal Shelter and A-Academy Animal Control, police said.
"The Galloway Township Police Department remains committed to investigating any report of animal cruelty in our community,” Chief Richard Barber said. “To honor this commitment, we recently trained two additional officers to serve in our HLEO Unit.”
Santos' Facebook page includes that she signed several petitions and contributed to fundraisers to help dogs over the years, including giving to a charity helping shelter dogs after COVID in 2021.
Anyone wishing to report animal neglect or abuse can call Galloway police at 609-652-3705. Information can also be given anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Atlantic County www.crimestoppersatlantic.com at 609-652-1234 or anonymously text your tip to 274637(CRIMES).
The Galloway Township Police Department would like to thank Kimmy’s Safe Haven Rescue, The Atlantic County Animal Shelter, and A-Academy Animal Control for their assistance with relocating the rescued animals.
NOTE: This story was updated to add details from the affidavit of probable cause.
