EAST LIVERPOOL An East Liverpool woman who reported witnessing a malnourished dog being abandoned on Sunday has been arrested after police determined she staged the incident.

Paula Parks, 42, appeared in Columbiana County Municipal Court on Tuesday to face a charge of making false alarms to a law enforcement agency. She entered a plea of not guilty during a video arraignment before Judge Timothy J. McNicol.

Parks originally filed a report with the East Liverpool Police Department on Sunday evening, claiming she was in a parking lot on Bradshaw Avenue when she saw a man exit a dark vehicle and abandon a starving dog on the sidewalk.

She told officers she waited for the vehicle to leave before approaching the animal and bringing it to the police station. The dog appeared weak, dehydrated, and emaciated, with its rib cage and hip bones clearly visible.

Investigators became suspicious after reviewing surveillance footage from the area. Detective Jon Price canvassed the neighborhood and checked security cameras at local businesses and residences, but could not find any footage of the vehicle Parks described.

Police also received a tip from the public suggesting the dog had been living at a residence on Y&O Road associated with Parks’ family members.

When detectives interviewed Parks at her home on Monday, they say she admitted that her previous statement was untrue. According to police reports, Parks confessed that the dog had been in her home for the past week.

She told investigators the animal was refusing to eat, and she did not know how to handle the situation. Parks stated she fabricated the story about the unknown man because she did not want to get her family members in trouble regarding the dog’s condition.

Parks alleged that the dog belonged to relatives she had allowed to stay in her trailer earlier in the year. She told police that when she evicted the relatives for leaving the home in disarray, they left the dog behind.

While the false report charge is being handled by the City of East Liverpool, police noted that the neglect and abuse of the animal occurred outside the city limits. The Columbiana County Sheriff's Office holds jurisdiction over the animal cruelty investigation.

Parks is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on Nov. 25. The charge of making false alarms is a first-degree misdemeanor.