Judge orders Snohomish County to release video of alleged puppy mill

The Snohomish County Prosecutor's office Thursday released a sheriff's video taken during the January seizure of about 160 puppies from a Gold Bar home. The release was made over the objection of defense attorneys who said the video's broadcast could hurt their clients' chances for a fair trial.

Judge Ronald Castleberry Wednesday ordered the Snohomish County Prosecutor's office to release the video being held as evidence in the animal-cruelty case of Jason and Serenna Larsen. The Larsens have been charged with six counts each of first-degree animal cruelty and could face up to two years imprisonment if convicted of all charges.

The couple allegedly lived at the Gold Bar house where the puppies were found crowded into crates and living in their own excrement, according to charging documents.

Several news outlets requested copies of the video under the state public-disclosure law.

The black-and-white video shows dozens of puppies and small dogs, many in cages, others in what appear to be narrow plywood enclosures, as Snohomish County sheriff's deputies survey the house from basement to attic. At one point, the video shows deputies going through a freezer and finding the frozen body of a puppy wrapped in a plastic grocery bag.

Charging documents say that the frozen bodies of four dogs were found during the search.

"Our fear is that release of the video could affect our clients' ability to get a fair trial," said Gabriel Rothstein, Snohomish County public-defense attorney, who is representing Jason Larsen. The video can't be admitted into evidence until a judge rules on its relevance during pretrial motions. The trial is currently set for July 31.

Another 450 dogs were seized at a kennel near Mount Vernon within days of the Gold Bar raid. The owners of that property, Richard and Marjorie Sundberg, face four counts of felony animal cruelty and five counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Their trial is scheduled to start June 29.

Both criminal cases have been linked to a Snohomish kennel owner, Renee Roske, whose license was subsequently revoked.

The Snohomish County Sheriff's office said it is still investigating Roske's role in the alleged puppy mills.

Lynn Thompson: 206-464-8305 or lthompson@seattletimes.com