Dog Sitter Arrested for Killing Dog

SLATON, TX — A woman faces charges for an incident involving the discovery of a dead dog was reported on August 3, 2022, at an apartment complex in Slaton. Officer Landa Lamberson responded to a call about a possible dead animal in an apartment at 1355 W. Woodrow Rd. The welfare check revealed two dogs locked in cages—one deceased and the other in distress.

When Officer Lamberson met with Windmill Apartments manager Kristen Murdock and maintenance technician Chris Broadstreet, they were concerned that something inside the apartment might be dead. Sergeant Casey Goodnight also reported the incident, according to court records.

Court documents revealed that nearby neighbors reported unusually large insects swarming near the upstairs apartments and stated that a woman named Tra’nesha Stoglin was allegedly taking care of the dogs. Records did not confirm if she was their owner.

As the apartment manager, maintenance technician, Officer Lamberson, and Sergeant Casey Goodnight approached apartment 108 for the welfare check, they noticed large flies around the windows, indicating something inside was dead. Officer Lamberson entered the apartment and found a deceased dog locked in a cage in the dining room and a severely emaciated black dog, believed to be a Labrador, in another cage in the bedroom.

Photographs taken by the officers documented the conditions, including the exposed bones of the living dog, which needed immediate care. With temperatures reportedly reaching 103 degrees, Animal Control Officer Wayne Cogburn quickly escorted the living dog and rushed it to Slaton Animal Hospital in hopes of saving its life. Court documents did not indicate whether the dog survived.

According to the Lubbock County Jail Roster, Stoglin was arrested near 34th Street and Avenue Q, though details of the arrest were not provided. 

The indictment charges her with two counts of intentional, knowing, and reckless torture of animals, stemming from allegations of starvation, confinement, and failure to provide adequate care in extreme conditions.

Tra’nesha Stoglin is being held at the Lubbock County Detention Center, with a bond set at $15,000.