Man who left neglected dogs in abandoned house sentenced to probation

A Penn Hills man was sentenced to two years of probation Tuesday for keeping seven pit bull-mix dogs in “deplorable” conditions both in and outside a vacant house in Pittsburgh, authorities said.

Barr Jamil Tomlin, 51, pleaded guilty before Allegheny Common Pleas Judge Susan F. Evashavik DiLucente Tuesday on 14 counts of neglect of animals and one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, court records show.

Evashavik DiLucente also prohibited Tomlin from owning any animals during the next seven years, and said he is subject to random inspections from humane officers during his probation.

Tomlin’s attorney, Albert Green Reese, Jr., did not respond to a call seeking comment.

Pittsburgh police arrived at 1323 Grotto St. in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood on March 8, 2021, where they found four “deplorable homemade kennels” in the rear of the property, according to an affidavit obtained by the Tribune-Review. Additional homemade kennels were found inside the home, whose temperature the day police arrived was 34 degrees.

The roofs of Tomlin’s handmade kennels “couldn’t properly shelter the animals from the weather,” Officer Michael Klein said in a police report.

“None of the dogs had food or water in their bowls, all dogs had old and fresh piles of feces in their kennel area,” Klein said.

During a search of the home, Pittsburgh police, Pittsburgh Animal Control and the Humane Animal Rescue League recovered seven pitbull-mix dogs — five of them outside and two indoors.

The two indoor dogs have old or fresh bite scars and lacerations on their body, and one was visibly underweight, Klein said. One of the dogs collapsed while being rescued and had to be carried out.

“The living-room area was made into a homemade dog pen and had a metal wire cage near the door,” Klein said. “Most of the ceiling tiles or drywall were removed and )I])saw bare boards and wires.”

Police said power and gas were shut off at the abandoned house, and the dogs inside would not have been able to maintain their body temperature.

It remained unclear Tuesday what Tomlin’s relation was to the property or why the dogs were housed there. Pittsburgh records, which list the house as condemned, said the most recent owner was Mary E. Blye.