HOLLYWOOD, Md. – A St. Mary’s County woman pleaded guilty to theft charges after being accused of bringing a critically ill puppy to a veterinary hospital, refusing to pay for emergency treatment, and leaving with the animal while providing false information.
Kenjewel Faye McCullough, 45, was charged after an incident on May 11, 2024, when she brought a severely injured and malnourished puppy to Three Notch Veterinary Hospital in Hollywood, Maryland. The attending veterinarian, Dr. Emily Hurley, determined the puppy had deep bite wounds, a swollen belly likely filled with worms, and severe gum pain. The veterinarian recommended euthanasia due to the animal’s suffering, but McCullough allegedly became upset upon hearing the cost. Instead of paying, she took the puppy and left the clinic without paying for the emergency consultation or prescribed medications.
Veterinary Clinic Identifies the Suspect Through News Reports
Months after the incident, Dr. Hurley recognized McCullough from a local news article related to animal abuse and contacted authorities. The clinic had been unable to reach McCullough or bill her for the medical services because she had provided a false name, address, and phone number on the hospital’s intake form.
Veterinary records revealed that McCullough listed herself as “Jewel McCullough” and provided an address in Suitland, Maryland, which was later determined to be fake. The clinic attempted to reach her at the phone number on file but discovered it was associated with a disposable phone application rather than a real contact.
McCullough Admits to Leaving Without Paying
On June 27, 2024, law enforcement contacted McCullough at the Animal Adoption & Resource Center in California, Maryland, where she admitted she had left the veterinary clinic without paying. She also acknowledged that the address and phone number she provided to the hospital were inaccurate, claiming the address belonged to a previous residence and the phone number was from an app she used to contact people.
Following the investigation, McCullough was charged with theft of services between $100 and $1,500, a misdemeanor under Maryland law.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
McCullough’s case was transferred from District Court to Circuit Court in July 2024, where she eventually pleaded guilty on January 10, 2025, before Judge Amy Lorenzini.
She was sentenced to 90 days in jail for each of her animal cruelty-related charges, but the sentences were suspended, meaning she will not serve active jail time. Instead, she was placed on five years of supervised probation.
Public Reaction and Legal Implications
The case has sparked public outrage among animal advocates and local rescue groups, many of whom argue that stricter penalties should be enforced against individuals who fail to provide care for animals in medical distress.
Authorities remind the public that failing to provide medical treatment for animals can result in criminal charges, and those who witness neglect or abuse should report it to law enforcement or local animal control agencies.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
I don’t know anything about this girl.
But I can just imagine getting a ridiculous vet bill. That would make anyone want to run out on their bill.
I hear all the time about the ridiculous vet bills someone I know gets charged for taking their dog to the vet.
The prices are financially crippling to anyone’s wallet. (I kinda don’t blame the girl)
Everyone is sticking it to everyone when it comes to prices. Thanks to the high cost of living especially here in Maryland.
Just look at Wes Moore who just blew 8 Billion dollars of the tax payers money. On God knows what. (There should be an investigation into where all that money went!) Then turns around and tries to raise tax on all of Marylanders to cover his wreckless spending and budgeting of our money!!
He needs to be investigated and removed from office!
Who cares about her what about the poor abused puppy.. and the vet wanting to kill him off what a sad life no one tried to save him they could have posted to go fund me and raised the money to save this puppy people donate for a animals all the time
I would rather she have left the puppy, whether she paid or not. It would’ve been better to euthanize him than to die a slow, painful death, like he probably did. I am an obsessive animal lover, but I realize that rescue organizations don’t have the funds or space to save them all. In a perfect world, all would be saved and have loving homes. Since that’s a pipe dream, we do the best we can, to save as many as possible, while understanding that the most humane treatment for the others will be euthanasia, unfortunately 😢
REALLY? Do you think vets just cavalierly want to euthanize a dog for no reason? You’re out of touch with reality. The dog had deep bite wounds; do you know how long it takes to get ‘go fund me’ money?
June 16, 2017 she was on Maury Pivoch as “Jewel”. Entertaining and gives insight into this sad woman. You can look the episode up on youtube if you need some stress relief.
“Instead of paying, she took the puppy and left the clinic without paying for the emergency consultation or prescribed medications.”
This animal abuser is no “Jewel.” She has a track record (see the Baynet link in this article) and should be thrown in the slammer to serve her whole sentence. A malnourished, wormy puppy with deep bite wounds is totally her fault. Kudos to the vet for suggesting euthanasia. Vets rarely suggest that unless the animal is to far gone.
This is in no way support for this person but vet bills can be crippling budget wise. That vet has taken care of our fur babies for almost 30 years and have been wonderful to us. If she didn’t have the $$$ to pay the bill she should have told them. I’m almost positive an arrangement would have been worked out.
My gut feeling is this person has no thoughts about others and is Numero Uno.