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Delay in Wicomico Dog Mill Trial, Key Witness Investigated

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EDEN, Md. (AP) - A Maryland sheriff says the trial of a woman accused of keeping 310 dogs in awful conditions has been delayed.

Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis tells The Daily Times of Salisbury that the case's key witness is under investigation for misuse of a credit card. He says the investigation of the director of the Humane Society of Wicomico County, Aaron Balsamo, may take weeks.

The trial of 69-year-old Susan Murphy was set to start this week. She was charged with animal cruelty following the 2016 raid of a suspected puppy mill in Eden.

Lewis says the probe also could affect a trial set to start next week against Barbara Pilchard, who's charged with animal abuse. County investigators found dozens of dead and neglected horses at Pilchard's Quantico farm in March.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.