Two of the leaders of the Salina Animal Shelter appeared in Saline County District Court Monday morning for an arraignment.

Animal Services Manager Monique Hawley and Operations Superintendent Andrea Murphy are both facing charges which include three counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Both waived the reading of the formal charges, and the Judge entered not guilty pleas for them.

A jury trial has been scheduled for early September.

If found guilty, the potential penalty would be 5 days to 1 year in jail, and a fine between $500 and $2,500.

Hawley and Murphy, who are currently on suspension, both have been under scrutiny regarding shelter management and euthanasia practices.

A failed inspection at the shelter earlier this year found among other issues:

• Employees who had not been trained or certified in euthanasia were carrying them out
• Multiple animals were euthanized by a heart-stick lethal injection into the animal’s heart
• One cat euthanized via heart stick was never sedated

Salina City Attorney Patrick Hoffman said at a study session the shelter “met the  minimal legal standard, but they need to do better than that”.

Andrea Murphy

Monique Hawley