A Columbia couple was sentenced on 11 counts of animal cruelty Wednesday in Howard County District Court.
Elizabeth Lindenau, 49, and her husband, Brady Decker, 47, were found guilty in January of failing to provide sufficient food, air, space and veterinary care to numerous, dogs, cats and birds, according to the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Decker was sentenced to 90 days, beginning immediately, and Lindenau was sentenced to 90 days with all but 30 days suspended beginning June 1.
Howard County Animal Control received an anonymous call on July 17, 2019, reporting a “horrible stench” from a residence on Hundred Drums Row in Columbia, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
After multiple attempts to speak with the owners, the State’s Attorney’s Office said Animal Control obtained a search warrant on July 24, 2019, and found the residence in poor condition for animals.
Inside the home, Animal Control located 59 live animals: 39 birds, 11 dogs, five cats, two snakes and two turtles. They also found 42 decreased birds and other small animals in the freezers.
Howard County Animal Control impounded all of the living animals.
In 2012, Decker and Lindenau was charged with similar mistreatment of animals. On Jan. 16, 2012, police said the property manager of the Columbia town house the couple leased together on Lambeth Court discovered 40 dead animals in the home, including birds, cats, rabbits, a guinea pig and a snake. Police said the animals had no access to food and the electricity, gas and water had been shut off in the residence.
During Lindenau’s trial in late August and early September of that year, Decker took responsibility for the animal deaths, saying he was responsible for taking care of the animals and had stopped visiting the town house approximately a month before the dead animals were discovered. Lindenau was ultimately found not guilty by a Howard County jury.
Decker, meanwhile, pleaded guilty in June 2013 to six counts of animal cruelty. Howard County Circuit Court Judge William V. Tucker granted Decker a probation before judgment, placed him on three years of supervised probation, ordered him to perform 150 hours of community service, and fined him $200 plus $100 in courts costs.
As part of Wednesday’s sentencing, Lindenau and Decker will both serve three years of supervised probation and undergo mental health evaluations as recommended. Animal Control will make monthly checks to their residence to ensure they no longer house any animals.