WARREN A Trumbull County grand jury has indicted two Warren residents on felony cruelty against companion animal charges following the death of a dog named "Baby."

Stephanie Swegan, 54, and Thomas R. Leimkuehler, 43, both of Oak Knoll Avenue SE, were each indicted on one count of cruelty against companion animals, a fifth-degree felony. The indictments were handed up by the grand jury on Wednesday.

The charges stem from an investigation into a dog found in severe distress at the couple's home. According to the Healthy Hearts and Paws Project, a local animal welfare group, the dog was discovered chained in a basement, emaciated and dehydrated, with a ruptured abdominal mass. The dog's condition was so severe it had to be euthanized.

Swegan and Leimkuehler have been free on bond with the condition that they are prohibited from owning, harboring, or possessing any animals.