High-profile animal cruelty case ends with Chandler woman sentenced to 3.5 years in prison

PHOENIX — The woman at the center of a high-profile Chandler animal cruelty case was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison on Thursday, authorities said.

April McLaughlin, who also goes by Sydney McKinley, was sentenced to 3.5 years for fraud involving her mother and two years related to animal cruelty, with the terms to be served concurrently.

She also received seven years of probation, was ordered to pay restitution to her victims and was banned from owning animals, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

The fraud charge stems from McLaughlin’s reported theft of more than $160,000 from her elderly mother’s bank account and charging of more than $20,000 to her mother’s credit card.

McLaughlin previously pleaded guilty to four counts after facing dozens of charges.

She is getting credit for the two years she already served while awaiting trial, ABC15 reported.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said prosecutors asked for a longer prison term, but McLaughlin’s status as a first-time felony offender played a role in the eventual sentence.

“While some counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement, under Arizona law, simply having more charges does not necessarily mean more prison time for a first-time felony offender like McLaughlin,” Mitchell said in a statement.

Chandler woman’s animal cruelty case dates back to 2023

Fifty-five dogs were seized from McLaughlin’s home near Cooper and Pecos roads in September 2023.

McLaughlin was taking care of many of the animals as part of her nonprofit rescue organization for dogs with disabilities, the Special Needs Animal Welfare League.

Some of the dogs taken from her home were in such poor condition that they had to be euthanized. The Arizona Humane Society rehomed the surviving dogs with former owners, rescue partners or by adoption.

In the wake of McLaughlin’s arrest, Chandler lawmakers updated the city’s animal cruelty laws.

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