California Woman Sentenced For Abandoning Newborn Puppies In Coachella County Dumpster

A California woman has been sentenced for abandoning several puppies in a trash bin.

The original incident occurred in April when 54-year-old Deborah Sue Culwell came into possession of several newborn puppies. Culwell, in an attempt to get rid of the puppies quickly, took the puppies to a nearby auto parts store in Coachella, California, and dumped them in the store’s trash bin outside. She was caught on video ditching the puppies in 90-degree weather inside a sealed plastic bag.

Not long after Culwell ditched the puppies, a passerby found them and notified an employee at the auto parts store. The employee subsequently called animal services to ensure the pups were taken care of.

Culwell was arrested shortly after the puppies were taken in by animal services on multiple felony counts of animal cruelty and animal abandonment. During the short investigation, Culwell was also found to be in possession of another 38 dogs in her home. She would relinquish ownership following her arrest and most of the dogs would be turned over to local animal rescue groups to be cared for until adopted.

She would also gain the moniker of "puppy dumper" after her story circulated on social media.

And while Culwell had originally pleaded not guilty to all charges, she changed her plea to guilty on all charges. She announced her guilty plea at an Indio courthouse on Wednesday, where she was sentenced to 365 days in prison and 36 months of formal probation.

However, her prison sentenced has also been reduced to 174 days because of the judge giving Culwell credit for time already served. And as part of her probation, she will have to attend counseling and will not be allowed to own any dogs.