Fake OC Charity Founder Charged After Sick Pups Covered In Feces Found In Hot Car, DA Says

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — A woman claiming to run an animal rescue organization in Orange County was charged with felony animal cruelty after 14 parasite-infested dogs were rescued from her locked car on the Fourth of July, prosecutors said Friday.

Priscilla Martin, 33, was charged with three felony counts of animal cruelty by a caretaker, 11 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty by a caretaker, and one misdemeanor count of putting the carcass of a dead animal on the road.

Martin faces a maximum sentence of 15 years and 10 months in prison if convicted on all counts. She pleaded not guilty on Thursday, July 23.

The investigation into Martin's purported charity began on the Fourth of July, when 18 dogs were rescued from her parked car, according to police.

One pup — a six-week-old Golden Retriever — had to be euthanized after being taken from the car in critical condition because of severe, untreated parasites, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.

Thirteen of the dogs in the car were found to have intestinal parasites, prosecutors said, and several of them also suffered from heat distress.

In addition, the dogs were found in extremely unsanitary conditions without water and covered in feces, according to prosecutors.

Martin was also caught on video dragging a dead dog out of her car and dumping the dog's body in the bushes in Irvine, prosecutors said.

According to the OCDA, Martin advertises on social media that she runs a 501c3 nonprofit animal rescue known as "Canine Paws Rescue, Inc."

Martin was arrested in Costa Mesa Wednesday when she had 14 more dogs in her vehicle, prosecutors said. Those dogs were seized and are being evaluated, prosecutors said.

Although Martin purports to run the Canine Paws Rescue, also known as the K9 Paws Rescue, there is no record of the nonprofit listed with the state attorney general's office, prosecutors said.