A Carbon County woman charged with killing and dumping cats in a dumpster recently entered a guilty plea in county court and was given a probation sentence.

Jessica K. Gould, 46, of Jim Thorpe, pleaded guilty before Judge Joseph J. Matika to one count of aggravated cruelty to animals - torture, a felony 3. In exchange for the plea, six felony 3 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals were dropped by the district attorney’s office.

State police at Lehighton filed the charges for a Sept. 25, 2021, incident. Troopers found dead cats in the dumpster of a Lower Towamensing Township business. Troopers said the cats were drowned before they were placed inside the dumpster. The dead cats were discovered on the property of Ampal Inc., 2115 Little Gap Road.

Four dead cats were found inside the dumpster. Another live cat was removed but died the next day at a veterinary clinic.

The cat carrier was placed in a plastic bag, inside a cardboard box. Other trash found near the carrier identified Gould as a possible suspect. When troopers contacted her, Gould allegedly told them that she drowned six cats by placing them in a cat carrier, which she submerged in water.

At the time of the incident troopers said Gould told them she thought the cats were ill but admitted never consulting a veterinarian about their illness.

Gould previously applied for placement in the county’s Accelerated Rehabilitation Disposition probation program for first time offenders but Matika denied the request.

Matika placed Gould on probation for 18 months and ordered her to get a mental health evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, supply a DNA sample, render 75 hours of community service, pay court costs of over $1,000 and pay a $50 per month supervision fee while on probation.