The Exorcist star Linda Blair ignored over 20 calls from authorities before a raid on her 2.5-acre Acton, California property uncovered 251 dogs in kennels.
The 67-year-old Oscar nominee, who founded the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation (LBWF) in 2003, had downplayed the swoop as being due to some pending ‘paperwork’ while stressing that the animals were ‘fine.’
‘I don’t know why mail isn’t used more often to notify somebody,’ Blair – who boasts 156,624 social media followers – scoffed on Instagram last Friday. ‘Just saying.’
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
Calls ignored: The Exorcist star Linda Blair allegedly ignored two dozen calls from authorities before a raid found 251 dogs in kennels on her 2.5-acre property in Acton, California.
However, the LA County Department of Regional Planning told TMZ on Monday that the animal advocate ignored 24 attempts to contact her over three years ‘to ensure animal welfare and check code violations’ at her no-kill shelter.
Seventy members of law enforcement and other agencies, including the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning and the LA County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC), descended on Blair’s residence last Friday at 6am with an investigative warrant.
A representative from the DACC previously told the Daily Mail the Golden Globe winner’s permits to house up to 60 rescue animals have been expired since 2023.
Luckily, no dogs showed signs of illness or injury or were seized during the raid despite neighbor complaints of constant ‘cries and howls’ from dogs sounding as though they were in distress.
The representative said there is still an active and ongoing investigation but that the Missouri-born actress was ‘extremely cooperative.’
Blair describes herself as ‘the main rescuer, hands-on healer, behaviorist, trainer and matchmaker for adopters’ at WorldHeart Foundation.
‘LBWF is a unique safe haven for animals providing top-quality, lifelong care to the animals it rescues,’ she wrote on the website.
‘We emphasize proper nutrition, provide first-class veterinary care, comfortable facilities, training, socializing, and of course, an abundance of love.’
Former LBWF staffer Ken Thomas told TMZ that Blair ‘could be in over her head’ as there were 150 dogs when he worked there and that was ‘overwhelming’ but that she made sure to care for each one.
Since 2024, the holistic vegan has been trying to move her shelter as she’s still in recovery from a near-fatal ‘thyroid storm,’ which led to her being hospitalized with sepsis and severe pneumonia and she was also diagnosed with Graves’ disease.
The Daily Mail has contacted Blair’s representatives for comment.
Breakout role: Blair shot to worldwide fame in 1973 after playing a demon-possessed 12-year-old in William Friedkin’s The Exorcist
Blair found worldwide fame 1973 after beating 600 other child actors for the prosthetic-heavy role of a 12-year-old girl possessed by a demon in William Friedkin’s horror classic The Exorcist, which amassed $441.3 million at the global box office.
She has not acted since reprising her breakout role as Regan MacNeil alongside Ellen Burstyn in David Gordon Green’s 2023 horror film The Exorcist: Believer, which earned $137 million at the box office despite dismal reviews.
The 5ft 2in brunette is also known for her roles in Roller Boogie (1979), Savage Island (1985), Repossessed (1990) and Scream (1996) as well as hosting Fox Family’s Scariest Places on Earth (2000-2006) and Animal Planet’s Pit Boss (2010-2012).
The actress, who romanced rock stars like Rick Springfield and Rick James, is currently writing a memoir.
