Woman Accused Of Killing 5 Dogs In Fairfield Briefly Jailed

FAIRFIELD, CT — A woman accused of killing five dogs in Fairfield was briefly jailed Friday, according to the Connecticut Post.

Heidi Lueders, 32, was taken into custody after Judge Tracy Lee Dayton increased Lueders’ bond to $250,000, up from $50,000, the Post reported, adding the judge ruled Lueders violated the terms of her release. Members of Desmond’s Army, an animal support group, gathered Friday outside the courthouse on Golden Hill Street, demanding Lueders’ imprisonment, according to the Post.

Lueders posted bond in less than an hour and was freed, the Post reported.

Lueders is the former president of Bully Breed Rescue Inc. In November 2018, Fairfield police found the remains of five dogs, who were affiliated with the rescue and had been under Lueders’ care, in crates inside a home on Prince Street. Lueders is charged with five felony counts of maliciously killing an animal and one count of first-degree criminal property damage. She had told rescue members and volunteers she sent four of the dogs to a sanctuary and the fifth to a foster home.

In October 2019, Lueders rejected a deal under which she would have spent 2 ½ years in prison had she agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges, News 12 reported at the time, adding Lueders waived her right to a jury trial, opting instead to go before a judge.

Her next court date is Oct. 14, according to court records.

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