Woman charged in deaths of 146 dogs in Mantua Township has died
A Parma woman charged in Portage and Cuyahoga counties in connection with cruelty against 182 dogs has died.
Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci said he confirmed Thursday that Barbara A. Wible, 69, died Jan. 28. He said his office would file a notice of dismissal.
More: Owner of Mantua Township home where 146 dead dogs were found facing 146 felony charges
Lexi Bauer, a spokeswoman for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, said in an email Thursday that the prosecutor's office had also confirmed Wible died Jan. 28.
"The state will be filing a motion to dismiss as abated by death," Bauer wrote. She added that the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office only learned of Wible's death late Wednesday afternoon.
Wible's attorneys did not return calls. A cause of death has not been confirmed, but it had been reported that Wible suffered from terminal cancer and was transitioning to hospice care in early January.
A Portage County grand jury indicted Wible on 146 counts of fifth-degree felony cruelty to a companion animal after 146 dogs were found dead in June 2023 in a Mantua Township home owned by Wible=.
Wible's most recent court date in that case was a competency hearing and an arraignment on an amended indictment, both on Jan. 5. Wible was not present in person or on video.
During that hearing, it was determined that a competency evaluation had been delayed due to Wible undergoing a round of medical treatments that were wrapping up. Judge Laurie J. Pittman ordered that Wible cooperate with the evaluation. As of Thursday, a March 29 competency hearing was still scheduled.
The amended indictment shows that the date range during which the offenses allegedly took place has been altered.
Canine Lifeline, the animal rescue organization Wible headed, is charged in Portage County Municipal Court in Ravenna with 25 counts of first-degree misdemeanor cruelty to companion animals in connection with the Mantua Township case.
Although not a defendant in that case, Wible appeared by video and without an attorney to represent the now shuttered organization during a Jan. 11 plea hearing.
During that hearing, Wible said she was in Parma and "transitioning" to hospice care.
Due to the question of Wible's competency, Judge Mark Fankhauser ordered that the hearing be continued until another officer of the now shuttered non-profit could be present. A plea hearing is now scheduled for March 1.
Wible also was indicted on 36 similar counts in Cuyahoga County after 36 dogs were found in a Parma home she owned earlier that same month. A dozen of those dogs were found deceased, and three more had to be euthanized. The remaining 21 were taken to a local shelter.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Barbara Wible, charged in deaths of 146 dogs in Mantua Twp., has died
