An Adams Township woman pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and driving under the influence in Butler County Court on Monday.

Renee C. Lerch, 60, entered guilty pleas to 10 summary counts of animal cruelty and one count of DUI with highest rate before Judge William Shaffer.

The plea agreement calls for 60 months in the county Intermediate Punishment Program, with 105 days on house arrest with electronic monitoring, as well as a $1,500 fine and 100 hours of community service for the DUI and fines for each of the animal cruelty counts.

She also will be given credit for time spent in an inpatient rehabilitation facility, per the plea agreement. Also as part of the plea, she will be unable to own or care for animals for about 2½ years.

Lerch is scheduled for sentencing on May 10.

She was initially charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and 31 counts of animal cruelty after an incident in Adams Township on April 27, when authorities discovered nine “severely neglected” dogs and one dead dog in her home on Broadstone Drive after Lerch's future daughter-in-law alerted police that the dead dog needed to be removed. Police said the animal was about 70 pounds and had been dead for about three days.

Adams Township police said the dogs were living in “deplorable” conditions and needed to be removed. Upon entering the residence clad in protective masks and gloves, the officers found nine dogs still alive, covered in feces, urine and vomit. The dogs had unclipped nails, making it difficult for them to walk, and overgrown fur, police said. Officers ultimately found three of the nine dogs in the basement in a cage.

The residence was in a similar state, buried in excrement and garbage bags, police said.

A veterinarian from the Good Shepherd Veterinary Hospital on Fox Trot Road came to assess the animals at the scene and took the nine dogs to his clinic to start treatments until they were taken to the Butler County Humane Society shelter.

The DUI charge stems from an incident on July 26 in Mars borough. She was charged with DUI, DUI highest rate, resisting arrest and a summary traffic count, after Adams Township police were called for a report of a possible DUI driver around 7:06 a.m., when the caller witnessed a vehicle driving slowly and hit a curb, before the woman driving got out, naked.

Police were unable to find the vehicle in that area, but found the vehicle in the area of 174 Forsythe Road around 8:04 a.m., after another call, according to the affidavit of probable cause.

The vehicle was pulled off the road and the driver was naked, and the caller reported seeing alcohol inside the vehicle.

Police said the vehicle was blocking half of the traffic lane and human feces were found beside the opened driver's side door, with Lerch inside also covered in feces.

The affidavit states that Lerch was highly intoxicated, attempting to pass officers a bank card covered in feces when asked to produce her driver's license.

An open vodka bottle was also found inside the vehicle, police said.

Quality EMS responded to take her to UPMC Passavant Cranberry. Police had to use force to remove her from her car and place her on a stretcher, the criminal complaint states, and she was taken to the hospital, where her blood alcohol content was found to be 0.270 percent.