Animal cruelty charges spur calls for official’s resignation in Pennsylvania county

WASHINGTON, Pa. (AP) — Residents in a western Pennsylvania county are calling for the resignation of an official who is facing felony animal cruelty charges after authorities say her dog starved to death. Washington County Controller April Sloane was arrested last week at her county office. North Strabane police filed the charges after a necropsy of her dog, Thor, showed the animal died of “severe emaciation” and weighed only 20 pounds, less than half of what its weight should have been. Sloane was arraigned and released on a $150,000 unsecured bond. She has declined comment on the charges. Sloane, a Republican, was elected to her post in November 2021.