Roland Animal Control Supervisor Charged with Animal Cruelty

ROLAND, Oklahoma – The city of Roland's animal control officer has been charged with animal cruelty after a dog was found dead at an animal care facility.

Kayla Barnes, 32, is accused of animal cruelty and an arrest warrant was issued for her on Sept. 16. According to court documents, the crime is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 or five years in prison, or both.

An affidavit of probable cause stated that on August 20, the Roland Police Department (RPD) requested assistance from the State Attorney's Office Violent Crimes and Drug Task Force in an animal cruelty case following the death of a husky.

A city employee reported that the husky was found dead in a locked enclosure at the city's animal care facility, the affidavit states.

Investigators found that the facility's roll-up door was closed and that there was no food or water for the dogs. According to court documents, there were 15 dogs at the facility, including the dead husky.

Barnes has been employed by the city since November 2021 and is “solely responsible for the care, custody and general management of the animals at the facility,” court documents say.

On Aug. 21, Barnes told investigators that she did not feed or water the animals at the shelter during the weekends of Aug. 10 and 11 and Aug. 17 and 18, the affidavit states.

The court documents list the following recorded weather reports for the days the dogs were without food and water:

• August 10 – 30 degrees at 44% humidity
• August 11 – 75 degrees with 82% humidity
• August 17 – 93 degrees at 56% humidity
• August 18th – 100 degrees with 48% humidity, with a feels like 115.

5NEWS contacted the city of Roland but received no response.

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