Sterling Woman Charged with Felony Animal Cruelty

Loudoun County Animal Services (LCAS) has charged Sandra Ulrike Landgraf, 70, of Sterling, with two counts of felony animal cruelty and one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty following the discovery of two deceased dogs in her home and one dog in emaciated condition running at large.

On the evening of October 31, 2024, LCAS Humane Law Enforcement Officers responded to a call regarding a stray dog that had been found roaming near Sugarland Drive in Sterling. The dog, which was in extremely poor condition, had a microchip, which led authorities to Landgraf.

Officers attempted to contact Landgraf at her residence and found the home to be empty. In the course of the investigation to locate Landgraf, it was determined that two additional dogs had also been left inside the home for an extended period of time. Loudoun County Animal Services, the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office and Loudoun County Sheriff's Office executed a general search warrant on November 4, 2024, and found the conditions in the home to be consistent with extreme hoarding and also found the remains of two Chinese Crested mix dogs.

When Humane Law Enforcement Officers made contact with Landgraf, she stated that she had not entered the home since at least the spring of 2024 and that the dogs had not been provided with food or water since her last entry. The surviving dog, "Elvis," a 10-year-old Chinese Crested mix, is believed to have escaped in October through a gap in the property's fence and survived through consuming trash, rodents, insects and the bodies of his deceased littermates.

"This case is heartbreaking, in that the suffering of these dogs was completely preventable," said Director of Animal Services Nina Stively. "At LCAS, we offer a judgement-free zone for surrendering a pet that you can no longer care for. We always want to support our community's pet owners, but there is no excuse to move out and leave your pets without food, water or care." Information on how to surrender a pet in Loudoun County is online at loudoun.gov/SurrenderPets.

Landgraf is scheduled to face the criminal charges in Loudoun's General District Court on December 10, 2024. A conviction of a Class 6 felony carries a possible penalty of imprisonment of one to five years, or confinement in jail for not more than 12 months, and/or a possible fine of not more than $2,500. A conviction of a Class 1misdemeanor in the Commonwealth of Virginia carries a maximum penalty of up to a $2,500 fine per count and one year in jail.

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