Woman Charged With Animal Cruelty; Allegedly Stabbed, Neglected Sheep

 HARWICH – A 42-year-old Harwich woman faces numerous counts of animal cruelty after police discovered a gruesome scene at the farm where she was living in Harwich last Tuesday, with evidence that a flock of sheep had been allegedly neglected over a period of time. The three animals that survived the neglect were then allegedly stabbed in the neck by the suspect.

 Meredith Viprino was arraigned in Orleans District Court the following day, Nov. 27, on 15 felony counts of animal cruelty. She pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on $500 bail, with the condition that she not possess any animals.

 According to real estate records, the farm at 35 Chatham Rd. had been purchased at a foreclosure auction by Michael Eldridge of South Dennis. Its previous owner was Barry Viprino, who is currently incarcerated awaiting trial on charges that include rape, kidnapping, witness intimidation and firearms violations (see related story, page 10). Police say it appears Meredith Viprino was a squatter on the property.

 Police reports indicate that Eldridge’s mother, Patricia Childs, visited the property on Monday, Nov. 25.

 “Patricia said they went inside of the barn on the property where they saw deceased sheep in a stall,” reads a report by Harwich Police Det. Paul Ulrich. “Patricia Childs said she could see that three sheep were still alive.” While on the property, Childs had a conversation with Meredith Viprino, who allegedly said she was aware of the dead animals and was leaving them to decompose. “Patricia Childs said she told Meredith the living sheep need food and water. Meredith said she had to leave,” and Childs complied, Ulrich reported.

 Childs returned to the farm the following day to put fresh water and hay in the stall for the three living sheep and said she found only one of the animals still alive. That afternoon, Harwich Animal Control Officer Jen Harrington visited the site to inspect the premises. Harrington said Viprino “essentially told her that there were no longer any living animals in the barn and that she had killed the remaining sheep that morning by stabbing them in the throat,” the police report reads. Harrington and Ulrich went to the barn and found all three sheep with stab wounds to their necks; two were dead and the third was alive and suffering. Officials called a veterinarian who responded to the farm and determined that the third animal would not survive; she euthanized it at the scene.

 Harrington “found a total of five sheep that had evidence of neck lacerations and a total of 15 deceased sheep,” Ulrich’s report reads. Many of the animals were too badly decomposed to show whether there were neck injuries, and some were partially embedded in manure that was four to eight inches deep in the stalls, he reported. There was no evidence of food or fresh water for the animals, other than what Childs had left there.

 “It was very obvious that the sheep had been neglected for a long period of time based on the amount of deceased sheep present, the amount of accumulated manure, badly decayed bodies of most of the sheep and there was no food or water present. There was no indication that the animals had been cared for,” Ulrich wrote.

 Meredith Viprino was arrested at the scene without incident.

 The animal control officer reported that the previous barn inspection, conducted on Dec. 1, 2023, showed that the sheep were healthy, the stalls were clean and hay and fresh water were present. That inspection took place shortly after Barry Viprino had been indicted on various rape and weapons charges.

 Cape and Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois said last week that his office is investigating the matter for "a possible grand jury presentment."

 “I’m sick over this,” Harwich farmer Leo Cakounes said. He said he works closely with the animal control officers around the region, as well as animal welfare agencies, when there is a need to temporarily shelter livestock in cases of neglect or other emergencies. 

 “There’s absolutely no excuse for this behavior, because there are people like myself...that would be more than willing at any time to take animals if someone is in a position in which they cannot feed them or take care of them any longer, with absolutely no recourse whatsoever,” he said.

 Meredith Viprino is due back in court on Dec. 30 for a pretrial conference.