Second baseman Shelley Schultz of the Arizona softball team pleaded guilty Wednesday to two of six charges stemming from animal cruelty charges brought against her in April, according to an article in yesterday's Arizona Daily Star.
As part of the deal, Schultz, who hit .205 in 50 starts last season, was sentenced to three years' probation, a span in which she may not own any animals, the article stated. She must also pay a pair of $113 fines.
Pima Animal Care Center officers investigated Schultz's home on North Warren Avenue after neighbors filed complaints stating that her two shepherd-mixes were running loose in the neighborhood.
After finding both dogs at Schultz's rented house with a bowl of food inside but no water, officers seized the animals, later euthanizing them for aggressive behavior after Schultz failed to claim ownership.
Schultz was charged with five criminal misdemeanor counts and one civil infraction based on the premise that she abandoned the dogs at the home.
"The four animal cruelty charges were dismissed - the two abandonment and the two neglect - because the prosecutors obviously didn't have enough evidence," Schultz told the Star. Attempts to reach Schultz for comment yesterday were unsuccessful.
Arizona softball coaches Mike Candrea and Larry Ray declined comment on the matter after a team meeting held last night.