LIHUE >> A 35-year-old Kapaa man is under arrest, accused in an animal cruelty case.

Russell Soares was arrested Dec. 10 after one dead dog and several emaciated dogs were found on the property at the Wailua Homesteads. He is charged with two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals.

The Garden Island newspaper reported that the Kauai Humane Society responded to the property 26 times between 2011 and the December visit that resulted in the arrest.

Soares’ mother, Marcia Jimenez, has said no cruelty to animals has occurred.

Humane Society officer Mana Brown says the property is family owned and the visits dealt with different people who have lived there, rather than just one person.

Brown says the dogs removed from the property in December have recovered well.