Police have arrested a Macon woman for releasing dogs from their cages at a Macon animal shelter that resulted in a deadly dog fight.
Crystal Gale Fessler, 36, was arrested on charges related to the Oct. 17 incident at the All About Animals Shelter in Macon. She faces 13 counts of cruelty to animals, criminal trespass, and probation violation, Macon Police authorities said.
The fight left three dogs dead and fifteen others severely injured.
Police confirmed in a press conference Monday that Fessler acted alone, and that she is cooperating with the investigation. Fessler’s release of the caged dogs was “unrelated” to dog fighting, they said. Her motive remains unclear.
The night of the fight, an intruder entered the no-kill shelter and released dozens of dogs from their pens, many of them pitbull and bulldog mixes, the Macon Telegraph reported. The resulting brawl turned deadly for three dogs.
Shelter volunteers said several of the dogs sustained injuries in the fight, and many are struggling with trust issues after the incident, the Telegraph said.
A Crimestopper tip led police to Fessler. Fessler stopped at a gas station after unleashing the dogs and told a patron what she’d done, the tipster told police. She also mentioned a bite she’d received from one of the dogs, police said.
Early speculation questioned Fessler’s connection to the shelter, but Mendy Harrison, a two-year staff volunteer at All About Animals, told the Telegraph that Fessler has no ties to the animal group.
“She’s not affiliated with our group,” she said. “I don’t recognize her.”
Fessler is being held in the Bibb County jail on $9,100 bond.
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