Glorianne Lagnese, the head of a Fairfield-based animal rescue accused in court documents of subjecting 48 dogs and cats to "prolonged neglect by means of starvation, dehydration, and deprivation to basic rights of sanitation" pleaded guilty last week to two counts of animal cruelty.

She was given a suspended sentence of 364 days in prison with three years of probation. She won’t serve any jail time unless she violates the terms of her probation.

Lagnese ran Super Paws Rescue out of her home on Steep Hill Road in Fairfield. The nonprofit's website says its goal is to safely re-home animals, especially pets who are in high-kill shelters or at-risk.

On April 28, animal control officers seized animals from her home due to what they deemed were "uninhabitable" conditions.

Fairfield police said the investigation into Lagnese began earlier in the month after a resident found a dog without tags roaming and called animal control to report it had matted fur and smelled strongly of urine. Police said animal control traced the dog to Lagnese and requested a welfare check at the house before releasing the dog back. That visit led to a search warrant for the home with the investigation culminating in Lagnese's arrest on May 12.

News 12’s Marissa Alter spoke to Lagnese’s close friends after her court appearance in May. They were adamant Lagnese never abused any animal. They said she simply "bit off more than she could chew" with the rescue. They told News 12 people were constantly dropping or sick or senior animals, and Lagnese never told them "no," so she just got overwhelmed.