BUTTE, Mont. — A bench warrant without bond has been issued for Veronica Marie Lasell, a Butte woman facing eight felony animal cruelty charges. Lasell, 45, failed to appear at two arraignments, prompting the judge to issue the warrant. She faces one misdemeanor and eight felony counts of cruelty to animals.
Lasell was scheduled to attend her arraignment before Silver Bow District Court Judge Robert Whelan but did not show up, despite having bonded out of jail the day before. This marks the second arraignment she has missed. The last one was in late Nov. of 2022, and a bench warrant was executed on Dec. 24, 2023, after which she was released on Jan. 2 after posting a $10,000 surety bond.
She is charged with eight felony counts of cruelty to animals and a misdemeanor count, each for failure to provide food and water. According to prosecutors, in Jan. 2022, Lasell left four dogs and numerous cats at a Butte home without food or water, and law enforcement had to wear protective suits when performing a search warrant due to the filth. The dogs had to be euthanized due to previous attacks on people.
During Wednesday’s hearing, there was confusion in the courtroom as her attorney, Dan Miller, was in attendance virtually but had called into the court session for a different case. Miller said he has not had any contact with Lasell, who is not on pre-trial services.
The judge expressed surprise at the age of the case, and the deputy county attorney noted that this was the second time Lasell had not appeared. As a result, it is unclear whether she was aware of the hearing.
In summary, Lasell is currently facing serious legal consequences for her alleged neglect of animals, with a bench warrant without bond issued for her failure to appear at her arraignment. Each charge against her pertains to the failure to provide food and water, and this is the second time she has missed an arraignment.