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Criminal charges have been filed against a Cabin John woman who was nursing two red foxes back to health in her home in December when they were confiscated by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and euthanized.

The charges, which encompass violations of both criminal and natural resources law, include two counts of possession of a dangerous animal; possession of natural Maryland wildlife without a permit; four counts of failure to obey a lawful order of a police officer and second-degree assault, according to Sgt. Ken Turner, a spokesman for Natural Resources Police.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 10 in Montgomery County District Court.

Harriett Crosby, 63, was rehabilitating the two foxes, one of which was sick and one of which was injured, when a Natural Resources officer knocked on her door in response to a call from a concerned resident last month.

Crosby was given a written citation which gave her 45 days to obtain a permit to rehabilitate wildlife — which she did not have — or to get rid of the foxes. However, a few days later the officer returned to confiscate the foxes. They were euthanized the same day. Crosby's nephew, Brett Kimberlin, obtained an injunction from a judge to halt the euthanasia, though the foxes were dead before the message reached the Montgomery County Humane Society.

According to DNR, it is a violation to remove wildlife from the wild without a permit. Those who attempt to rehabilitate wildlife can often do more harm than good if they are not properly trained, according to DNR officials.

Turner would not provide details pending trial, but said Crosby allegedly assaulted the police officer who was confiscating the foxes.

Crosby is not licensed to rehabilitate wildlife through DNR, though she has taken a certification course and has rehabilitated animals in the past, she has said. The older fox, who she called Munchkins, had been injured, while the younger fox was believed to have been poisoned, she said. Crosby hoped to release the animals back into the wild after they were well enough to survive on their own.

The officer returned to confiscate the foxes after conferring with a biologist in the group's Wildlife and Heritage Services division, which deals with wildlife, Turner said. The officer realized after issuing the written violation that because foxes are at high-risk for carrying rabies, they posed a public safety risk, Turner said.

"We don't enjoy being placed in a very difficult situation like this due to the wrongdoing of an individual who removes wildlife from the wild and puts them into captivity," Turner said after the incident. "It's a terrible position."

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene issued the order to euthanize the foxes in order to test them for rabies, according to Capt. Mike Wahl of the Montgomery County Police's Animal Services Division. Animals must first be euthanized to test for the virus.

Crosby said she was devastated by the foxes' deaths and may pursue a lawsuit.

Kimberlin, who was with his aunt when the foxes were confiscated, said Crosby did not assault the officer. He said Crosby was attempting to drive the animals to a wildlife rehabilitator when the officer pulled her out of her car and told her to kneel on the ground and put her hands on the vehicle.

"She never assaulted them, they assaulted her," Kimberlin said. "… He was pulling her out of the car and wrestling her and she was trying to break free."