The Flathead County Animal Shelter is overwhelmed with animals after 27 dogs were seized from allegedly unsanitary conditions at a Coram property earlier this month, according to shelter division manager Austin Hicks.
Candy Jean Evans, 55, was arrested for felony aggravated animal cruelty on March 13 after officials seized the dogs — and an allegedly dead puppy — from her property. Evans does not yet have an arraignment scheduled in Flathead County District Court.
If convicted, she faces up to two years with the state Department of Corrections and a fine of $2,500.
“It is still an active investigation so I can’t talk about a lot of things,” Hicks said during a Flathead City-County Health Board meeting on Thursday. “…Those 27 dogs obviously put us way above our numbers.”
The shelter anticipated it would have a week to prepare for the dogs’ arrival, Hicks said, but the canines came only a day and a half later. Staff reached out to animal shelters throughout the state for help, resulting in the transfer of 16 adoptable animals to various other shelters in Montana.
“Even with the help of other shelters, [Flathead County Animal Shelter] is still responsible for the care of 27 dogs involved in the case, in addition to 10 adoptable dogs currently under their care,” Hicks said in a press release issued last week.
EVANS FIRST met with law enforcement on Aug. 12, 2024, when animal control officers with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responded to a complaint that people were shooting at the dogs, according to court documents. Evans told the officer on the scene that she and her sister, Lavina Evans, owned 23 dogs. She originally agreed with law enforcement that the situation was “out of control,” court documents said.
A few days later on Aug. 17, animal control officers met with Lavina Evans, who said that they were ready to relinquish five puppies. The animals were signed over to the shelter. Each puppy tested positive for parvovirus and was quarantined and treated. All of them survived.
The sisters told law enforcement that they would relinquish more dogs at that point to treat them for possible illnesses, court documents said.
However, when the authorities returned on Sept. 5, the sisters refused to give up the dogs and Candy Evans declined to speak with the officers, according to court documents.
The investigation halted until March 11, when law enforcement officials responded to a vicious animal complaint at Evans’ Coram residence. When law enforcement arrived, according to the charging documents, they observed two dogs that were malnourished and two puppies that appeared lethargic with “distended bellies.”
Officers also reported seeing other dogs that were notably skinny. The property was allegedly covered in dog feces and dogs were loose, scavenging trash. At that time, the sisters agreed to surrender the dogs, estimated to be 23 on the property, court documents said.
When law enforcement and veterinarians returned to the residence to collect the dogs on March 13, Lavina Evans assisted them while Candy Evans refused. Authorities removed 27 dogs from the property and one dead puppy, found in a trash container in the living room, according to court documents.
“The veterinarian report stated that the dogs were suffering from severe neglect and the death of the puppy was certainly directly attributable to lack of adequate food and care,” reads the affidavit filed in district court.
NONE OF the dogs are available for adoption while the case remains under investigation. Owing to the large volume of animals in the shelter and the increased level of attention needed to care for them, the shelter is not taking surrenders at this time.
They will continue to accept animals brought to them through Flathead County Animal Control, Hicks said last week.
At the close of Thursday’s Health Board meeting, members thanked Hicks for his work and response to the situation.
Hicks in turn thanked shelters around the state for their assistance in taking animals, including the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter, Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter, Stafford Animal Shelter, Humane Society of Western Montana and the Tobacco Valley Animal Shelter.
To support the shelter’s efforts, members of the public can donate to Flathead Shelter Friends, the nonprofit dedicated to funding work at the shelter. Flathead Shelter Friends can be reached at (406) 890-0459 or flatheadshelterfriends501c@gmail.com.
Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or kheston@dailyinterlake.com.
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