Dead dog's owner jailed on charges of animal cruelty Thursday, August 04, 2005

BETHLEHEM PA -- The owner of a dog found dead and decomposed in a shed last week was jailed Wednesday on charges of animal cruelty. A neighbor reported July 27 to the Bethlehem Housing Authority that Damaris Heft's dog was no longer barking in the 1000 block of Essex Court. Bethlehem police contacted Stephen Geyer, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals humane police officer, who found the dog dead in the shed, according to court records.

Judging by the amount of decomposition, the dog could have been dead for up to two weeks, court records state.

Two empty dishes were in the shed, but they would be insufficient to provide the dog with water, Geyer said in the report. Temperatures reached the low 90s while the dog was trapped.

Heft told police the dog was given to her by a family member and she didn't want it. She told police she locked the dog up so it wouldn't bite her child, records say.

Heft was arraigned before Senior District Judge Elizabeth Romig and sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $5,000 bail.