No jail time for former animal rescue group leaders in Loudoun County cruelty case

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — Three former leaders of an animal rescue organization will not face any jail time after pleading guilty to a slew of animal cruelty charges, officials in Loudoun County announced Friday.

The animal cruelty charges were for crimes committed throughout 2022 and 2023 at the Luck of the Irish Animal Rescue, Loudoun County Animal Services (LCAS) said.

Nicole Metz, 52, and Kimberly Hall, 53, both pleaded guilty to five counts of cruelty to animals. They received a 40-month suspended sentence, meaning they will not serve any jail time.

They were, however, ordered to undergo three years of supervised probation and handed down a five-year ban on pet ownership, three-year probation on any involvement with an organization associated with animals, a mental health evaluation and treatment, as well as 150 hours of community service.

Alex Hall, 24, pleaded guilty to three counts of cruelty to animals and received a nine-month suspended sentence, two years of unsupervised probation and a five-year ban on pet ownership.

The charges against the three stem from an investigation conducted by LCAS, which found Metz and the Hall failed to provide veterinary care and basic welfare to the animals in their custody.

Over two months, more than 100 animals were received by LCAS from the rescue, with most of them being held in unsanitary and unacceptable conditions in their homes. Half of them had contagious diseases and/or parasites.

LCAS Director Nina Stively indicated that a number of animals were found with broken bones and untreated medical conditions, while others died in the rescue’s care without proper treatment.

Those animals were buried in mass graves between the two homes.

Not only were Metz and the Halls deemed criminally responsible, but the Luck of the Irish organization was also found not to comply with state and local requirements for an animal rescue.