ST. CLAIRSVILLE — A co-defendant in an animal cruelty case entered a guilty plea Monday before Belmont County Common Pleas Judge John Vavra.

Kellie Wells of 59615 Chestnut Level Road, Belmont pleaded guilty to two counts of fifth-degree cruelty to animals. Her sentencing was set for Aug. 24. A pre-sentence investigation and Eastern Ohio Correction Center evaluation were ordered.

Her daughter, Shania Wells, of the same address, will appear Monday before Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Frank Fregiato to have a new trial date set. She is also charged with cruelty to animals.

Shania Wells is currently in jail until 2021, serving a sentence of two and a half years after admitting to violating her parole by being in a residence with animals. She had been sentenced last May to 90 days in jail as part of a suspended sentence out of Belmont County Western Division Court for multiple counts of animal cruelty.

Shania Wells had pleaded no contest to 10 counts of cruelty to animals, a second-degree misdemeanor stemming from an incident in December 2018 when sheriff’s deputies investigated Wells’ property and found dead and mistreated animals.

The humane organization Belmont County Hoof & Paw executed a search warrant on her home Jan. 9, 2020, discovering two dead calves, one dead dog, and two badly neglected dogs, the source of her latest charges and those of her mother.

According to the Belmont County Prosecutor’s Office, Shania Wells faced similar charges in 2017. She was allowed to complete a diversion program and have the charged dismissed. Ohio Revised Code allows a prosecutor to establish a diversion program for a defendant they believe is not likely to offend again.