Sickly animals found in leased space at NJ farm

🔴 The state Department of Agriculture received a complaint about Andrea DeCarlo's horse

🔴 She was given three chances to improve the situation for her horse, sheep and ram

🔴 Charges were filed after improvements were not made

WASHINGTON (Warren) — A woman was charged with three counts of animal cruelty after several sickly animals were found on a farm where she was leasing space.

Warren County Prosecutor James Pfeiffer said the charges against Andrea DeCarlo, 33, came after the Department of Agriculture made several visits to the property on Montana Road on a complaint about an underweight horse.

Inspectors said the horse was being kept in an inadequate shelter and eating urine-soaked hay.

They also found several malnourished sheep exposed to an area with broken glass and sharp nails. A ram with an injured leg, missing hair and poor health was also discovered during the inspection.

The inspectors gave DeCarlo written recommendations on how the situation could be fixed but after three visits the situation remained the same, officials said.

She was charged April 28 with three counts of fourth-degree animal cruelty for failing to provide necessary care for a horse, a sheep and a ram.

Pfeiffer told New Jersey 101.5 that the animals are still on the property but being cared for by another agency.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

LOOK: Here are the states where you are most likely to hit an animal

Hitting an animal while driving is a frightening experience, and this list ranks all 50 states in order of the likelihood of such incidents happening, in addition to providing tips on how to avoid them.