INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  A former animal control officer in Indianapolis is accused of illegally cropping the ears of multiple dogs.

Marion County prosecutors have charged Ashley Chastain with three counts of torturing or mutilating an animal. She was arrested Wednesday. A probable cause affidavit says she illegally cropped the ears of multiple dogs, shooting them with ketamine that would immobilize them.

According to the affidavit, Chastain tried to crop a puppy’s ears when it threw up, choked on its vomit while a muzzle on its mouth was taped shut and died. The affidavit says Chastain, a commander with animal control at the time, buried the puppy’s body in her backyard.

The Indianapolis Star reports ear cropping is an elective surgery sometimes done by veterinarians on puppies to shorten their ears.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Chastain has an attorney.