Waynesboro woman arrested on Albemarle County animal-cruelty charge

A current resident of Waynesboro who heads up a local animal-care nonprofit was arrested on Thursday on an animal-cruelty charge related to an incident reported in Albemarle County.

Hannah Lynn Haught, 25, was initially arrested on Nov. 6, 2025, after the Albemarle County Police Department Animal Protection Unit opened an animal-cruelty investigation into an incident that occurred in October in Albemarle County, per a spokesperson for the Albemarle County PD.

The case was initially nolle prosequi – in English, the charge was dropped – on a technicality, the spokesperson said.

Following the advice of the Albemarle County Commonwealth Attorney’s office, a new warrant was obtained through the local magistrate’s office, the spokesperson said.

Haught had since relocated to Waynesboro, and was served with the fresh warrant on the new animal-cruelty charge by the Waynesboro Police Department on Thursday, the spokesperson told us.

We did not get details on the nature of the allegations behind the charges from our communications with the PD spokesperson.

The Virginia online court system reports that Haught was released on bail, and is due in Albemarle General District Court on June 9 for a preliminary hearing.

Haught heads up a nonprofit that goes by the name A Cat Lady in Training, which lists a 1050 B St., Waynesboro, mailing address, on its nonprofit paperwork.

The Facebook page for A Cat Lady in Training gives its history as dating to 2019, with the stated goals “to help the feral population, take in animals that are all shapes and sizes, not discriminate (against) an animal based on special needs or age, to raise awareness on things like FIV and herpes, which makes cats harder to adopt out, and to even help reptiles or small animals if needed.”

Haught was the subject of a 2023 profile on the local TV station WHSV-ABC3 detailing how she got into animal care as a college student “volunteering some of her time at a local animal shelter,” and reporting that “her ultimate goal is to become a service dog trainer.”