Police have arrested the former owners of a kennel that was the site of the largest raids on what animal welfare workers called a puppy mill.

John and Heidi Frasca, who disappeared in the months after the raid in August 2007, were expected to return to Maine this week to face charges of animal cruelty.

The Frascas were arrested last week in Burlington, Mass., according to Buxton Police Chief Mike Grovo.

The state seized nearly 250 dogs in the raid on J’aime Kennel at 35 Paucek Road in Buxton. Animal welfare workers said many of the dogs were diseased.

York County District Attorney Mark Lawrence said Wednesday John Frasca had been charged on Nov. 7, 2007, with 25 counts of cruelty to animals and failed to appear at an arraignment hearing Nov. 14, 2007, in Biddeford District Court. The judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Frasca, who had previously denied all charges.

Lawrence said Heidi Frasca was charged on Aug. 7, 2008, with 25 counts of cruelty to animals and one count of refusing to sign a summons. She failed to appear in court in Biddeford on Aug. 13, 2008, and a warrant was issued on Aug. 21 for her arrest.

Lawrence said the couple was being escorted back to Maine Wednesday by the York County Sheriff’s Department. The couple appeared in Middlesex District Court in Woburn, Mass., on June 25, and they did not contest extradition to Maine. They were held in a jail in Middlesex County, Lawrence said.

Upon arrival in Maine, they were to be taken to York County jail. Bail had already been set by a judge in Maine for John Frasca at $500 and for Heidi Frasca at $5,000. If they post bail, they would be released and have to notify the court of an address.

Lawrence said, if the couple doesn’t post bail, they would be brought before a judge Tuesday, July 7, for a bail hearing in Springvale District Court.

After the kennel raid, several dogs seized were diagnosed with sarcoptic mange, which police said was contagious to humans, and several others were diagnosed with giardia.

Animal welfare workers at the time of the seizure described the kennel as overcrowded and filthy and said some animals needed immediate medical treatment. The Biddeford District Court awarded custody of the dogs to the state in September. The state’s seizure of the animals was purportedly the largest ever in Maine.

Norma Worley, director of Maine’s animal welfare program, was unavailable Wednesday for comment on the arrests.

The former kennel property was sold in a foreclosure auction last year, and a housing development is planned at the site.