Tewksbury Senior Center Director Charged With Cruelty To Animals

TEWKSBURY, MA — Tewksbury Senior Center Director Nicole Hutcheon was charged with cruelty to animals, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Prosecutors accuse Hutcheon, 33, of Tewksbury of failing to care for dogs in her care. According to the release, investigators believe that at least two German Shepherds died in Hutcheon's care while a puppy in her home was underweight.

She was charged with three counts of animal cruelty and one count of witness intimidation. She was arraigned by phone in Lowell District Court, Wednesday.

The Lowell Sun first reported this story.

Tewksbury Town Manager Richard Montuori told the Sun that Hutcheon has been placed on an unpaid leave of absence until further notice. She has been the senior center director for two years.

According to the DA's release, a local agency that fosters dogs asked Tewskbury Animal Control to check on a dog in Hutcheon's care on April 5, after it stopped receiving updates about that dog.

"The agency also had knowledge about other dogs in the defendant’s care that they were also concerned about," the release continued.

Investigators learned that the dog the agency had been concerned about had died, and the cause of death was ruled starvation, prosecutors said. They found a puppy in the home that appeared to be underweight. Finally, they found that another German Shepherd, which Hutcheon had adopted, had died in her care.

"The defendant had allegedly attempted to hide the remains of the animal," the release continued.

Judge Ellen Caulo released Hutcheon on personal recognizance and ordered her to not adopt any new animals. She was required to submit to unannounced visits from animal control regarding an emotional support dog still in her custody.

Assistant District Attorney Emma Sipperly was assigned to the arraignment. The next court date is June 23. The Middlesex District Attorney's Office and Tewksbury Police are investigating the case.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.