Woman charged with animal cruelty

MIAMI (AP) - A Hialeah woman has been charged with 53 counts of animal cruelty.

Jail records show 40-year-old Gisela Tacao was being held Thursday on $265,000 bond. It was not immediately known if she has an attorney.

A joint investigation with the Hialeah Police Department and Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office found that Tacao had been operating her pet rescue operation, Gigi’s Rescue, from a warehouse since late 2010. Authorities had received complaints on the conditions at the site and the poor physical condition of the animals there. Fifty-three animals were given a physical examination, which federal authorities say resulted in the 53 criminal charges.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement: “Such neglect is not a mistake, it is a crime.”