Wilson man charged with animal cruelty; dogs seized

Todd Eric Morris, 47, of 4545 Frank Price Church Road, was charged with nine counts of animal cruelty and eight counts of improper animal housing. He was released on a $3,000 unsecured bond.

Deputies seized the dogs on Tuesday afternoon. Some of the animals were so malnourished that their ribs and hipbones were visible, authorities said, and others had infections.

The pens where the dogs lived were smaller than Wilson County animal ordinances allow and were overgrown with grass and covered with feces, authorities said. Deputies had given Morris two weeks to bring the pens up to standard before he was charged.