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An Asbury Park resident faces up to $20,000 in fines that stem from charges brought by the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [SPCA].

Carmen Burke, 63, of Monroe Avenue, was charged on Oct. 6 with 16 counts of animal cruelty, failing to provide sustenance, failing to provide proper water and shelter, and operating an illegal kennel, according to Victor “Buddy” Amato, chief of police for the Monmouth County SPCA.

Eight dogs were seized from the residence, among them five puppies found to be anemic due to severe flea infestation, Amato said.

The mother of the five puppies was also “extremely under weight” and neither she nor her pups had been properly vaccinated or seen by a veterinarian, he said.

One of Burke’s neighbors called the Humane Society, who forwarded the complaint to Amato’s office. The SPCA had already been watching the location “for quite some time,” he said.

Burke is scheduled to appear in Asbury Park Municipal Court on Oct. 25, where she faces anywhere from $16,000 to $20,000 in fines, according to Amato.

“It is our intention to stop them from breeding and if she is allowed to keep the animals, to see that they are spayed or neutered,” Amato said.

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