PA: Trio killed pit bulls, put carcasses on train tracks, cops say

By Pamela Sroka-Holzmann
on March 03, 2016 at 1:35 PM, updated March 03, 2016 at 2:22 PM

Three people are facing animal cruelty charges after police say they killed a pair of unwanted dogs and put them on railroad tracks to make the deaths appear accidental.
lowersauccar.jpeg(file photo)

Charged are Brandy Pfeiffer, 41, and Jeff Paul Everitt, 45, both of the 1100 block of Ferry Street in Easton; and Michelle Lorish, 36, of the first block of North Warren Street in Easton.

They are charged with two counts each of animal cruelty, abuse to animals, disrupting operations of a train, defiant trespass, disorderly conduct, obstruction to highways and criminal conspiracy.

A Lower Saucon Township police officer shortly before 2 p.m. Dec. 5 was flagged down by two animal shelter workers who said they they were tipped off that two pit bulls were found dead on the railroad tracks near Riverside Drive and Redington Road, according to court records.

Police found the dogs dismembered at the midsection on the tracks, according to records. A two-month long investigation took place.

Testing performed at the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center revealed the dogs were killed by blunt force trauma prior to being placed on the railroad tracks. Police say the co-defendants placed the dogs on the tracks after killing them to make it look like a train struck the dogs.

Police were tracked to Lorish, owner of the dogs, through a social media posting, in which Lorish displayed photographs of the animals. Police said an identifying collar in one of the photos matched the collar on one of dead dogs found on the tracks.

Lorish also had called the Northampton County 911 Dispatch Center on Dec. 4, telling an operator she wanted to get "rid" of her two pit bulls, according to court records.

Lorish allegedly admitted to police in a written statement she conspired with Everitt and Pfeiffer to get rid of the pit bulls.

All three were arraigned Thursday before District Judge David Tidd, who set bail at 10 percent of $15,000. All three posted bail.

A preliminary hearing was tentatively scheduled for March 24.

Efforts to reach Pfeiffer, Everitt and Lorish were unsuccessful.