A Summit Hill woman accused of animal cruelty waived criminal charges to Carbon County Court of Common Pleas Tuesday afternoon.

Lori Claypoole, 59, appeared before District Judge Beth Dodson for a preliminary hearing on multiple charges related to dozens of dead cats found in an apartment at 16 W. Ludlow St. in May.

Summit Hill police charged Claypoole with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony 3; and the following misdemeanors: four counts each of cruelty to animals, neglect of animals, cat vaccinations and licensing requirements for cats.

According to arrest papers, Summit Hill Police Chief Todd Woodward entered the apartment May 9 after the landlord found dead cats while checking the property due to a leak in the roof.

Woodward found a minimum of 30 deceased cats in various stages of decay: some complete skeletons, some skeletons missing heads, skulls and carcasses with some hair attached, court papers said.

Two live cats were walking around and there were two bowls in the living room area, one with cat food and one with water. The floors in the bedrooms, hallway and attic steps were covered in several inches of what appeared to be excrement, court papers said.

During interviews with police following the discovery, Claypoole said that she had four cats, which were alive, and that all of the cats were strays which she took in and lost track of the number. She did not take them for veterinary care or have them licensed, she said.

Claypoole told police that she was overwhelmed, believed she needed psychiatric help and did not know what to do with the deceased cats, which she assumed died of natural causes.

She told police that she rents the apartment, but had not lived there in about four years and came there daily to feed the cats.

Claypoole waived all charges to the Carbon County Court of Common Pleas. She is free on $100,000 unsecured bail.

The owner of the apartment, Sean Hegarty, has questioned the number of charges filed against Claypoole, seeking additional charges for the number of deceased cats. He has started a Justice for Cats campaign on social media.

Police stated there were a minimum of 30 dead cats in the apartment, and Hegarty told the Times News he stopped counting at 50. He has stated there were 100 deceased cats on social media.

Six cats were found alive inside the second floor apartment amid corpses of dozens of others and inches of ash and excrement, he said.

Four cats escaped, leaping out of a second-story window opened for ventilation.

Hegarty has been encouraging people to rally outside the Carbon County Courthouse in Jim Thorpe on Thursday, when Claypoole’s preliminary hearing was scheduled to take place.

Claypoole’s next court appearance will be a formal arraignment Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. in the District Attorney’s Office.