Opelika man charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty

An Opelika man faces animal cruelty charges after the Lee County Sheriff’s Office says dogs were found without food or water.

Investigators say 65-year-old Mose Washington, Jr., has been charged with 16 felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty. His bond has been set at $80,000.

The sheriff’s office says it was contacted Saturday, January 24, about possible animal cruelty taking place in the 1700 block of Lee County Road 400 in the Beauregard community. Deputies responded and said they found dogs that appeared to be malnourished and did not have access to food and water.

Investigators say they got a search warrant for the property. During the search, they say 16 dogs that appeared to be of a pit bull variety were seized and taken by Lee County Animal Control to a veterinary clinic in Opelika to be evaluated.

They say the veterinarian told them that all the dogs were in poor health and it appeared that they had not been cared for on a regular basis. They say Washington owns the dogs.

Anyone with information that could help investigators should call CrimeStoppers at (334) 215-STOP.