THE HOUR | By Lisa Backus | April 1, 2025 |
NORWALK, Conn. — A Winsted woman charged last month with animal cruelty connected to her fostering operation in that town now is facing charges that she did $100,000 in damage to a Norwalk home she was renting, in part by allowing dogs to urinate and defecate throughout the property, a warrant for her arrest said.
Norwalk officers began investigating Sarah Smolak, 28, of Winsted on Feb. 25 after they received a property damage and theft complaint from her former landlord, police said in a news release.
"The investigation revealed extensive damage to the interior of the home including broken garage and basement doors, stain marks on the walls and floors throughout the home, damaged windows and baseboards, and the presence of urine and fecal matter," Lt. Thomas Podgorski said in the release. "Officers also found extensive damage to the lawn. In addition to the damage at the home, officers found that outdoor lawn furniture and a washing machine was stolen."
Smolak was served with an arrest warrant Monday charging her with first-degree criminal damage of a landlord's property and fourth-degree larceny. She was released after posting a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear at state Superior Court in Stamford April 14.
Smolak already was free on $150,000 bail after she was charged with two counts of animal cruelty and two-dozen dogs were seized from her Winsted home during a raid last month involving state and local animal welfare officials, according to Winchester Police Chief Christopher Ciuci.
As part of the conditions of her release in that case, she is not allowed to possess animals, a judge said.
The Norwalk warrant said the city home she rented smelled of urine and feces by the time she left and just about every area was filthy with animal waste that in some cases had rotted flooring and other surfaces. The total cleanup cost was estimated by contractors at more than $104,000, the warrant said.
The landlord also reported that the lawn furniture from the house was missing and so were the washer and dryer, according to the warrant. The dryer had been replaced with a less expensive model, the landlord told police, and the sump pump was ruined as it was filled with dog feces, the warrant said.
Smolak had lived at the location since 2018 and was told when she moved in that she could have her own five dogs on the property, the warrant stated. But the landlord told police that he believed she was running an illegal dog fostering operation at the home and had as many as 17 dogs on the property at the same time, according to the warrant.
The landlord and his wife had been trying to get inside the house for months but, every time, Smolak refused them entry and threatened to call the police, the warrant said. She moved out in late February after he started eviction proceedings, the landlord told police, according to the warrant.
In the Winsted case, Smolak is accused of failing to get medical treatment for two dogs that she had been "fostering" for animal rescue groups, according to a warrant for her arrest. Smolak's boyfriend David Reid also was charged with animal cruelty in one of the cases.
One of the dogs, who she renamed Pancake, had a serious gastronomical issue that resulted in dramatic weight loss that Smolak said was from throwing up. When Smolak did bring the dog to a veterinarian, the vet determined the dog needed surgery, according to the warrant.
Instead of agreeing to the surgery, the veterinarian told police that Smolak, 28, tried to leave the office with the gravely ill dog, and the state animal control officer was called, according to the warrant. Smolak eventually left the vet's office without Pancake, who did undergo surgery and recovered. Police said in the warrant that Pancake was not given back to Smolak, who later was charged with one count of animal cruelty in connection with the lack of medical care for the dog.
The allegations surrounding Pancake, and a second dog in her care named Seraphine, came at time when animal rescue groups from as far away as Long Island had called Winchester police to report that Smolak was neglecting and abusing dogs she had agreed to foster for them, the warrant for that arrest said.
Smolak was charged with a second count of animal cruelty in a second warrant that described Seraphine's condition after staying with Smolak for a period of time. That warrant said Seraphine was limping, suffered from hair loss, had open sores and her spine and rib cage were visible.
Smolak in February had told the rescue group that had given her Seraphine that the dog had been adopted to "an amazing family, living her best life." But Smolak called the rescue back in March, asking whether they would pick up the dog since she was in heat, the warrant said. When a woman from the rescue went to Smolak's house to get Seraphine on March 5, the dog was in poor condition, according to the warrant.
The woman then drove to a parking lot to call police, the warrant said.
At the center of all of the allegations is a white pit bull named Marshmallow, who was rescued while injured in New York and turned over to Smolak, who later denied that she had the dog, both warrants said. Marshmallow remains missing, and AMA Animal Rescue is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to his return. Desmond's Army Animal Law Advocates is offering a $5,000 reward and a $500 pledge from Army's Legacy Rescue and Sanctuary, Inc., bringing the total reward to $8,000.
Several other dogs were taken from Smolak the day before local animal control officers asked to search her home for Marshmallow in February, according to the warrant. At least two of those dogs were in poor physical condition when they were taken from her, the warrant said. Police have opened an investigation into the condition of those animals, according to the warrant.
"Our organization, AMA Animal Rescue, became involved when Smolak took in one of our rescued foster dogs, Marshmallow in December, 2024," a spokesperson for the group said in a statement issued Tuesday. "Originally found in Brooklyn, NY in January, 2024, after being stabbed in the head. Marshmallow had fully recovered and was a happy, healthy, beautiful dog."
"While we are relieved that Smolak has finally been held accountable for her actions, Marshmallow is still missing," the statement continued. "He was last entrusted to her care, and she has yet to disclose his whereabouts. We urge anyone with information to come forward immediately."
Winchester police began investigating in February, but it wasn't the first time that state officials had been tipped off that dogs were being neglected in her care, reports issued by investigators with the state Department of Agriculture showed.
A state inspector had issued a warning to Smolak for illegally running a kennel at her Norwalk home in 2022, state records said. The investigation began after a man reported to state and Norwalk authorities that he had intended on hiring Smolak to watch his dogs when his family went on vacation, but her behavior seemed erratic to him.
The man said that he had found her listed on Rover.com as a boarder and it didn't appear she had a state license to board animals, state documents said. Smolak told a state inspector that she didn't board animals but she did watch animals for family and friends and allowed other dogs to come over and play, the documents said. She admitted that she got paid to watch the animals, state officials said in the documents.
There were other complaints of neglect and abuse lodged against Smolak while she lived in Norwalk, but they weren't substantiated, Norwalk Chief James Walsh had said.
The state Department of Agriculture and the Harwinton Regional Animal Control Department are participating the investigation and in the seizure, Ciuci said. The animals are being examined, housed and cared for locally, according to a news release.
Anyone with information can contact Winchester Detective James Crean at 860-379-2721 or jcrean@townofwinchester.org or the Harwinton Regional Animal Control Department at animalcontrol@harwinton.us or by calling 860-485-9051, ext. 1129.
For tips or information regarding Marshmallow, email bringmarshyhome@gmail.com.
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