Carter County residents charged with animal cruelty

Carter County Sheriff’s Office reports that three people were charged over the weekend after multiple animals were found dehydrated and underweight. 43 year old Sarah Oaks, 42 year old Ryan Oaks, 42, and 22 year old Nathaniel Oaks were each charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty. A deputy discovered numerous animals in pens without clean water, food, or appropriate shelter. Inside a storage shed, additional animals were found confined without clean water or food in extremely hot temperatures. All the animals appeared dehydrated and underweight, with some in distress. The next day deputies, along with an officer from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Crime Unit and the director of the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter, returned to the residence to remove the animals. Multiple animals, including reptiles, were removed from the property.