RivCo Woman's 10 Animal Cruelty, 24 Misdemeanor Counts Dismissed After Her Death

SKY VALLEY, CA — A Sky Valley woman accused of multiple animal cruelty and neglect charges was acquitted of all counts Friday, posthumously, in a case she has battled since 2014.

Mary Bernadette Schwenn, 76, faced ten felony animal cruelty counts, four misdemeanor animal cruelty counts, and 20 misdemeanor counts of improper care and attention to animals.

According to Thalia Hayden of the Riverside County District Attorney's office, all 34 counts were dismissed Friday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, following her death. The cause of death was not released.

Schwenn was arrested in 2013 and accused of mistreating at least 16 dogs, according to a criminal complaint which accused her of "willfully and unlawfully subjecting" her pets to various forms of "needless suffering," "unnecessary cruelty," and "abuse."

The complaint accused the defendant of multiple forms of neglect, alleging she failed to provide the animals with adequate food, water, shelter, and protection from the weather and allowed them to remain in various locations without sufficient care and attention. After that time, she repeatedly stated her case, including speaking at the Board of Supervisors meetings where she vowed to carry her fight to the courts, despite the board vote directing her to clean up the rubbish within three months or face fines that, if unpaid could lead to a lien on her property.

According to the complaint, at least seven of Schwenn's dogs were impounded during the trial.