Ben Madilynn
A Topeka woman charged with eight counts of animal cruelty was back in jail Wednesday amid allegations that she’d violated conditions of her bond.
Desiree E. Therrien, 30, was booked at 10:20 a.m. Wednesday into the Shawnee County Jail, where records showed she remained that afternoon. Her next court hearing was set for 9 a.m. Oct. 30.
Therrien faces misdemeanor charges filed after the Jan. 30 rescue of 73 animals from her home at 1415 S.W. Fillmore, where officials said they found those animals living in squalor.
The criminal complaint alleges Therrien failed to provide six dogs and two cats with food, water, protection from the elements, opportunity for exercise and other care needed for their health and well-being.
Therrien’s co-defendant in the case, 28-year-old Charles Solomon, pleaded guilty last month to 26 counts of animal cruelty involving 26 dogs that were seized from the house. Solomon remained an inmate Wednesday afternoon in the jail. His sentencing is set for Sept. 5.
Court records show a confidential report filed Aug. 16 by a court services officer alleged Therrien had violated conditions of the $15,000 bond on which she was released in February from the jail.
It wasn’t clear what conditions of bond Thiessen allegedly violated.
Court records say she had been ordered to submit to random drug and alcohol testing and have no contact with her co-defendant, not own or possess any animal, not possess or consume alcohol or illegal drugs, not possess weapons, not travel out of the county or state without the court’s permission and not operate a vehicle without a valid license and insurance.
Here’s what the charging affidavit said
After Topeka police received complaints in 2023 about the condition of the house where Solomon and Theirren lived, Solomon met that December with police at an off-site location and told them he kept 13 dogs and six cats there,
Police invited officers to accompany him to his home, where — seated on the front porch — they saw Therrien; the couple’s 2-year-old daughter; Therrien’s mother, Sara Jane Therrien; and another man, according to an affidavit. Solomon allowed officers to enter the house, where he surrendered a dog he said had recently killed a cat.
Later in the month, Solomon surrendered four more dogs, the affidavit said. The animals showed signs of neglect and not being socialized.
That’s when animal control decided to seize all of the animals and contacted the Humane Society of the United States for assistance. The seizure took place Jan. 30.
Topeka police found 18 deceased animals. The house contained dogs, cats, a guinea pig, a rat, a wild bird and a hawk inside, as well as a deceased chicken in a bathtub.
The Humane Society of the United States said it recovered a total of 70 dogs and cats “living in squalor, with floors and walls coated in layers of filth and feces, and no apparent access to clean water.”
It released a video showing the conditions in which the dogs were kept.
The couple’s 2-year-old daughter was left in the custody of her “custodial guardian,” a spokeswoman for the Topeka Police Department told The Capital-Journal, without making that guardian’s identity public.
Miami County officials said earlier this year they were investigating a potential link between Solomon, Therrien and allegations of animal neglect there, but no record could be found Wednesday of criminal charges having been filed against either have since been filed in that county.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
