UPDATE: Nov. 22 at 3 p.m.
According to criminal complaint documents, Ariana Meriwether and Demetrius Clay have also been charged with two counts of second degree cruelty to animals, both of which will now be prosecuted as felonies under "Ethan's Law."
In those complaints, Demetrius Clay and Ariana and Catherine Meriwether are alleged to have "intentionally or wantonly abandoned two dogs in their custody, inside a residence, without any food, water or health care," resulting in the death of one dog.
The other dog was found "suffering from extreme malnutrion."
Both animals were left inside wire cages within the residence, the complaint states.
According to the Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control, the search for the three has been active since July, when the animals were discovered.
UPDATE: Nov. 21 at 5 p.m.
Based on an anonymous tip, Lexington Police arrested two women they had been trying to locate since the summer, Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control (LFACC) said via Facebook.
Police have been looking for Catherine Meriwether since July when they charged her with two counts of animal cruelty.
According to LFACC, officers discovered two dogs inside a home on Emerson Drive. The agency says both dogs were confined in crates without food or water. One dog died. Police said Meriwether and Demetrius Clay moved out of the home, leaving the dogs behind.
"Due to the newly enhanced language of the Kentucky Torture law, or “Ethan’s Law”, cases like this will now be charged as a felony. As of July 2024, LFACC officers have placed four felony charges for torture of animals," the organization said.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Investigators with the Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control are searching for two people charged with two counts of animal cruelty.
According to officials, Catherine Meriwether and Demetrius Clay are believed to have moved out of their home on Emerson Drive and left behind two dogs.
Officials say that two dogs were "intentionally confined in crates without food or water," and as a result, one of the dogs died.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call 859-258-3600 or email the cruelty investigator at Jhamilton@LFACC.org.
