A Montgomery County foreign language teacher pleaded guilty Thursday to five counts of cruelty to animals for failing to provide proper care after 28 dogs were removed from her Clarksburg home in January after several visits by police.
Maria A. Yordan-Torres, 53, has taught at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring since 1986. On Thursday, she stood silent as Assistant State’s Attorney Cory Birdsall told District Court Judge Mary Beth McCormick that animal control officers visited Yordan-Torres’ home several times in 2005 and told her to improve unsanitary boarding conditions for the Coton de Tulear dogs she was breeding.
Police visited her home on Dec. 29, and what they found included one malnourished dog and, in the yard, a dead dog. Yordan-Torres was arrested Jan. 19.
Stacey Calkins, who said she has lived next door to Yordan-Torres for six years, said she often complained about the dogs to animal control officers because of persistent barking. She said the calls wound up leading to a feud between them.
A Jan. 4 search of Yordan-Torres’ home by police revealed more malnourished dogs kept in unsanitary cages. The animals were removed.
Mary Fisher, a former Montgomery County Animal Shelter employee who said she examined eight of the dogs, said many of the animals were suffering from “urine burns” on their legs and had to be shaved as a result.
Yordan-Torres did not address the court Thursday and refused comment afterward. It is unclear whether she will remain employed by the school system.
Yordan-Torres’ lawyer, Andrew Jezic, asked for sentencing to be delayed because his client is currently receiving psychological care.
“She’s very remorseful about it, tremendously remorseful. She realized she had too many dogs and she let things get out of hand,” Jezic said.
Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 5. Birdsall told the court she would seek a nine-month jail term.
