North Okanagan woman and daughter charged with animal cruelty

VERNON – A North Okanagan woman and her daughter are facing animal cruelty charges in Vernon court today.

Carla Christman and her daughter Chelsea Beluse-Christman have both been charged with causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal, failing to provide the necessaries for an animal and willfully resisting obstructing a peace officer, according to court documents. Christman also faces a charge of dangerous operation of a conveyance.

Both are scheduled to appear in Vernon court today, May 23.

The B.C. SPCA seized over 50 animals from Christman's Irish Creek Road property March 25, which included 42 horses, four dogs and four pigs. The obstructing an officer and dangerous operation charges both lists the offence date as March 25.

The animal cruelty charges date back to December 4, 2018.

This isn't the first time Christman has been charged with animal cruelty, in 2012 she pled guilty to a charge of failing to provide necessaries for an animal.

Christman's Irish Creek Road property has attracted plenty of attention over the years with allegations of animal cruelty. On Match 15 the property was destroyed by fire, several weeks after media reports surfaced the Christman was back under SPCA investigation. The occupants managed to escape without injury and no animals were harmed in the fire.

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