New file photo

ALPENA — Alpena County Sheriff Erik Smith confirmed today that the county has decided to move on from its Animal Control Officer.

He said the shelter at the Alpena County Fairgrounds will be run with the staff and volunteers it has now and business and operations will continue as normal.

Michelle Reid, who has been employed by the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office for years and handled the county’s animal control responsibilities, was relieved from her duties on Monday morning.

Smith said he could not go into details about her dismissal, but the animals will be fine and he has faith in the staff and volunteers to care for the animals during the transition. The sheriff did not say what the animal control programs’ next steps will be moving ahead.

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