Naugatuck Woman Charged With 16 Counts Of Animal Cruelty: Police

NAUGATUCK, CT — A Naugatuck woman charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty was arrested Thursday, according to the Naugatuck Police Department.

In a news release posted to Facebook, police said Melissa Mae Ahlgren, 35, of Naugatuck, was arrested by Berlin police Thursday and taken to Naugatuck police headquarters for processing on three outstanding arrest warrants.

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According to police, the first warrant stemmed from an animal cruelty investigation that began in August when animal control learned of a critically ill 5-week-old puppy in Ahlgren's care.

The puppy was taken to an emergency veterinary hospital with assistance from Prospect Animal Control.

"Due to the severity of its condition, the puppy was euthanized," police said in a news release. "A subsequent examination identified bacterial pneumonia and evidence of inadequate nutrition."

Naugatuck police and animal control executed search warrants at Ahlgren's Celentano Drive property on Aug. 20 and seized 16 dogs, including multiple young puppies, according to the department.

Police also noted the dogs are currently in animal control's care and are not available for adoption at this time.

According to police, officers found unsanitary conditions, including feces and urine throughout the home, and reported finding no dog food.

The home also had no running water and was condemned by the borough's building inspector, police said.

Police obtained an arrest warrant as a result of the investigation, charging Ahlgren with 16 counts of cruelty to animals, four counts of no dog/cat vaccination and four counts of failure to comply with dog ownership requirements, according to the department.

She was held on a $50,000 bond, police said.

Police said Ahlgren was also charged on a second arrest warrant stemming from an investigation into a fraudulent advertisement posted on an adult classifieds website using the photographs and personal information of a Naugatuck Animal Control officer involved in the animal cruelty investigation.

According to police, the advertisement falsely portrayed the animal control officer "as offering sexual services, listed her former home address and encouraged strangers to arrive without calling."

During their investigation, officers obtained digital records linking the account used to post the online advertisement to Ahlgren, according to police.

For this case, Ahlgren was charged with second-degree harassment, second-degree breach of peace, second-degree stalking and criminal impersonation.

She was held on an additional $50,000 bond, police said.

Ahlgren was also held on an additional $10,000 bond stemming from an outstanding arrest warrant charging her with second-degree failure to appear, according to police.

She appeared in court Friday morning, according to police.