Pet Store Owner Accused of Animal Abuse Reaches Deal

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A plea agreement calls for the owner of a Rapid City pet store which was raided for suspected animal abuse to pay $40,000 to the Humane Society of the Black Hills and surrender all her animals.

The agreement reached Tuesday in state court allows Marinda Parks, owner of Pitter Patter, to keep two personal pets. The Rapid City Journal reports Assistant City Attorney Kinsley Groote says she's confident the city would have won at trial, but felt it was better for the animals to get to safe homes as soon as possible. The agreement has Parks pleading guilty to three of the 55 charges with both prosecutors and the defense asking for a suspended sentence of 30 days in jail.

Animal control officers seized pets along with a number of dead animals from the store last August.

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