Oct. 12—BELLAIRE — A woman charged with multiple felony counts of animal cruelty declined a plea offer.
“There will be a trial,” Antrim County Prosecutor James Rossiter on Tuesday told 13th Circuit Court Judge Thomas Power during what had been previously scheduled as a plea hearing.
Brooklynn Beck, 28, of Central Lake, is facing six felony charges in 13th Circuit Court after law enforcement in April executed a search warrant on the Muckle Road home she was renting, discovering dead animals inside a chest freezer as well as more than 100 live animals in unsanitary conditions, court records report.
Beck pleaded not guilty to all charges and is free on a bond of $25,000, 10-percent cash or surety, court records show.
Beck was previously charged in a Grand Traverse County animal cruelty incident, and arraigned in April on a single misdemeanor charge after officials said a small-breed dog died after being groomed by Beck at an unnamed Blair Township pet grooming business.
A previous request by Beck to access veterinary records for the deceased shih tzu was denied by 13th Circuit Court Judge Thomas Power.
Complaints lodged against another pet grooming business, House of Floof, in Central Lake, owned by Beck and her fiancé, Michael Turland, brought law enforcement to her Muckle Road home, according to previous statements by Antrim County Sheriff Dan Bean.
Antrim County Animal Control has, since April 28, cared for the 106 animals officers seized from Beck, and Rossiter on Sept. 28 filed a motion in 13th Circuit Court, asking Power to order the animals forfeited.
A financial accounting filed with the court shows as of June, the county had spent more than $15,000 caring for the seized animals.
A forfeiture order would allow animal control officers to re-home the animals, court records show, which include a Clydesdale horse, baby rabbits, two Sulcata tortoises, a bearded dragon, a monitor lizard, plus cats, dogs, chickens and snakes.
Last week Rossiter and Beck’s attorney, Mattias Johnson, agreed to adjourn any decision on the forfeiture motion, as forfeiture would likely be included in the pending plea offer, court records show.
On Tuesday, however, Rossiter told Power the motion was back on, and asked that it be ruled on prior to trial, which court records show is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 24-27.
“Well, how long is this going to take?” Power asked, of the motion hearing.
“It could take two to three hours,” Rossiter said.
“A two- to three-hour hearing?” Power asked, expressing what appeared to be surprise at the length of time Rossiter was estimating.
“I believe so, your honor,” Rossiter said, adding he’d check the availability of witnesses he intended to call to testify.
Power said the court would seek to hear the issue as quickly as possible, though likely would not find a free date until next week.
Beck, in a response to the forfeiture motion Johnson filed Oct. 4, denied the live animals seized from her property were in poor condition.
Rossiter, at a July 18 scheduling conference, offered to dismiss three of six felony counts of killing or torturing animals and one count of abandoning or cruelty to more than 25 animals filed against Beck, in exchange for a guilty plea on three counts of killing or torturing, court records show.
On Oct. 6, Johnson said an updated offer from Rossiter would have dismissed four of six felony counts, in exchange for a guilty plea from his client to two counts of killing or torturing.
In declining the plea, the case will proceed to trial where Beck, if found guilty of all charges, faces four to seven years in prison and fines of between $5,000 and $10,000, according to court records.