Dogs from Animal Cruelty case up for adoption in Fall River after man pleads not guilty, released on personal recognizance

One person was arrested, and another was summoned, after officers located eight dogs and multiple firearms inside an apartment in unsanitary conditions.

According to New Bedford Police, on Wednesday, just before 4:15 p.m., officers responded to an apartment building on Davis Street for a welfare check after a report of a strong odor coming from an apartment where animals were believed to be living.

After knocking multiple times with no answer and hearing dogs barking inside, officers forced entry into the apartment due to concern for the conditions inside.

Once inside, officers observed extremely unsanitary conditions, including animal feces, urine, and garbage covering the floors, along with a strong ammonia odor. Officers located three adult dogs and five puppies confined to cages and a pen.

Officers also located a vertical firearm safe, multiple rifle cases containing an AR-15 style rifle, a Remington Model 783 rifle, 60-round magazines, a Ruger semi-automatic rifle, a backpack containing a disassembled over/under 20-gauge shotgun, a 25-round magazine for the Ruger rifle, and two unsecured firearms.

The tenant, 28-year-old Austin Mello, arrived on scene along with his girlfriend, 25-year-old Kaileigh Blessing. Blessing stated that one of the firearms belonged to her, and the remaining firearms belonged to Mello. Both individuals have active Licenses to Carry, which were seized.

Mello was arrested and charged with eight counts of animal cruelty, two counts of improper storage of a firearm, three counts of possession of a large capacity feeding device, and three counts of possession of a large capacity firearm.

Court records show he pled not guilty at arraignment and was released on personal recognizance with a probable cause hearing scheduled for June 2nd

Blessing will be summoned to court for eight counts of animal cruelty and one count of improper storage of a firearm.

New Bedford Police Animal Control responded and removed the dogs from the residence. The animals were transported for further evaluation and are currently available for adoption at Forever Paws Animal Shelter in Fall River.

Visit foreverpaws.com and click adopt to download the application. Once complete, you can email it to fpas1@foreverpaws.com or fax it to 508-677-9175.

If you have any information you would like to give to the police, you can do so anonymously by calling 508-99-CRIME or visiting our website and submitting a tip.