Baltimore County Police and animal control officers seized at least 13 dogs and several birds and reptiles Friday afternoon from the home of a Halethorpe woman who was charged last year with 328 counts of animal cruelty.

A little over a year ago, authorities removed 82 animals from Kimberly Klein’s home, resulting in those charges, which included 80 felony counts for “intentional torture” of animals.

The terms of Klein’s probation ordered her to have no contact with animals, other than four — one dog, two birds and a reptile — that the court allowed her to keep.

Yet, neighbors say that ever since the court approved her plea deal and said she could find new homes for the animals because she still owned them, a Jeep has been pulling into Klein’s Francis Street driveway and unloading cages of shrieking birds as well as large dogs. Neighbors who spoke with The Banner asked not to be identified out of fear of retribution.

Friday morning, after viewing video shot by neighbors, Baltimore County Animal Services Director René A. Varela worked quickly with the Baltimore County Police Department and the courts to secure a warrant to enter the property.

Klein was home and would not answer the door, though officers could hear the birds inside the house as well as multiple dogs barking. Eventually, when police presented the warrant, Klein came out and sat on her porch while animal control officers entered and removed the animals. Two of her three sons joined her. One, 14, sobbed as the officers removed the dogs.

Two Bernese mountain dogs, two Saint Bernards, two Labradors, two Great Danes and two rottweilers were among the dogs removed.

One bird, a colorful parrot, chirped “hello” from the animal services van. Five vans crowded the busy, two-lane road to load up all the animals.

Klein’s unusual plea agreement frustrated both animal control officers and the animal advocate community. She was given a year of probation, but she also asked for and received a role in rehoming the animals. She said she wanted to sell some of them to recoup what she said was a $120,000 investment in purchasing them.

As a result of that agreement, Varela said, his staff had no control over where the animals went.

Normally, he said, Animal Services establishes that anyone taking the animals can provide good homes for them. But because the court had declared the animals were Klein’s property, and hers to find new homes for, Varela could not do that.

Klein’s animals had gone to dozens of foster homes, and many of those families wanted to keep the animals. Returning them was even harder, Varela said, because they didn’t know where they were going.

Varela’s office spent at least $408,000 housing and caring for the animals.

Had Klein pleaded guilty or been convicted, the law allows for county animal offices to terminate an owner’s rights and ask the court to order reimbursement for the county. But because Klein made an Alford plea, where she accepted that the court had enough evidence to convict but did not admit guilt, recouping the taxpayer money will be more challenging.

Varela said he’s looking at all options of how to do that.

On Friday, his office also told all fosters who had not yet returned Klein’s animals to hold off. Animal services, he said, would like to have control of them for now.

Varela said he’s grateful to the neighbors who alerted officers to the problems prior to last year and did so again this week.

“It can’t be stated enough that the only reason this case existed is that neighbors were concerned, and concerned residents got engaged,” he said.

Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier echoed that late Friday.

“There is a larger community that makes this system work — our foster families, adopters, volunteers, and advocates," she said. “Animal welfare depends on a strong network of people who step up to help in big ways.”

Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger, whose office negotiated the plea agreement, was in touch Friday with police and animal control officials and said the next step would be for a judge to determine whether Klein violated her probation.

Klausmeier’s said her office is working with Shellenberger’s to determine “next steps” on the county’s end. The Baltimore County Office of Law can seek a judgement against Klein to reimburse taxpayers for the expense of caring for the animals. They have done that in similar cases.

Klein has a hearing scheduled for Feb. 27, where she planned to ask the court to amend her sentence to probation before judgment, which would vacate her conviction upon completion of the probation. That would have allowed her to reclaim some of the animals.

Reached as the raid concluded, Klein’s attorney, Larry Greenberg, said he was not aware that it had happened and could not provide comment.

Correction: A caption in this story has been updated to correct the location of a home in Halethorpe.