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INVERNESS, Fla. (TCD) — Three people are facing charges after deputies found multiple animals and two children living inside a home filled with waste, urine, and empty liquor bottles.
According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and officers with animal control responded to a home on East Watson Street earlier this month to investigate a possible animal cruelty case. The statement said animal control officers immediately noticed a potent smell of animal waste and ammonia from outside the home before they spoke with 23-year-old Chelsea St. Hilaire.
St. Hilaire reportedly stated there were three dogs living on the enclosed patio of the home, as well as three living inside. Deputies and animal control officers entered the residence and discovered “multiple piles of garbage bags mixed with animal feces and urine inside the bathroom,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Inside the bedroom, officials also found soiled diapers and empty liquor bottles, and in the kitchen, they observed dirty dishes and buckets with mold growing.
Deputies said, “Throughout the entire home, the floor was spongy and caked with feces, and multiple holes were observed in the ceiling.”
Deputies observed two children inside the home, including one crawling on the floor. Additionally, there were reportedly cats throughout the house who had access to the outside through the home’s windows. The sheriff’s office found a seventh dog in the home who the suspects did not disclose.
In addition to St. Hilaire, Robert Brooks and Tina Maddox allegedly failed to provide adequate food for the animals, and there were no sources of water available for them. The sheriff’s office noted many of the dogs had fleas, which caused patches of fur to fall out.
Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast said, “The condition of this home was so disgusting that deputies and ACOs could not take a single step without their boot touching feces, urine, or both.”
The two juveniles were removed from the scene, and the Citrus County Animal Shelter will care for the dogs and cats. As of Jan. 25, six of the dogs have either been adopted or fostered, according to WTSP-TV.
St. Hilaire, Brooks, and Maddox each face seven counts of animal cruelty. The sheriff’s office said further charges regarding the children are pending.
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