Ex-head of Pahrump cat facility arrested

The former president of a Pahrump cat sanctuary where hundreds of sick and starving cats were found was arrested Wednesday on 125 counts of animal cruelty, a Nye County official said.

Shari Allen, former head of For the Love of Cats and Kittens, or FLOCK, was set to be booked into the Nye County Detention Center in Pahrump late Wednesday, said Tom Marino, a detention tech.

A tip from a FLOCK volunteer prompted Nye County officials to visit the cat sanctuary two weeks ago. When Nye County animal control officials arrived at the 2 1/2-acre Pahrump property, they found 400 sick and starving cats roaming the open facility.

The animals have been placed in the care of Kanab, Utah-based Best Friends Animal Society.

Allen was in charge of FLOCK when the group moved last year from Las Vegas to Pahrump, group officials have said. FLOCK's new president, Maggie Ward, has said that Allen didn't let volunteers into the facility and changed the locks every two weeks.

Allen's bail was to be set at $79,000, Marino said.