LAKELAND, Fla. — Editor's note: The details and photos in this report may be upsetting.
A Lakeland woman is facing more than 30 counts of animal cruelty after close to 30 cats and a dog were found in "unlivable" conditions, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.
The investigation began on Wednesday at a home on Hedge Drive North off Stokes Road in Lakeland. Deputies say they were called to the house after getting a complaint about possibly neglected cats and hoarding.
When deputies arrived, they said they immediately got a strong ammonia odor coming from inside the home when they met with the homeowner, 66-year-old Catherine Briley.
Briley, who lives alone, reportedly told deputies she had about 16 cats and one dog inside the home with her. Detectives, equipped with respirator masks due to reported "toxic" ammonia levels, went into the home and said they found between 20-25 cats roaming around. Several of the cats were coughing and had green discharge coming from their nose, the release said.
A dog was also found in the home and detectives said it had trouble walking and standing and had "grossly" overgrown toenails that had curled. The dog was also missing a lot of fur and appeared to have a skin condition.
The sheriff's office said the animals in the home weren't able to get fresh air. Litterboxes overflowing with feces and urine were strewn around.
The ammonia air levels taken at the home registered at 10 ppm and a hydride, a type of toxic industrial chemical, level of 40 ppm, the agency said. Those readings are considered high, detectives added.
In total, detectives said they found 27 cats living in the home along with the dog. All of them were covered in fleas and were taken from the home for treatment of various conditions at Polk County Animal Control.
Additionally, five cats were found dead under a bed in a closed bedroom. According to the arrest affidavit, the room was kept shut and the cats weren't able to leave. No food or water was found in the room; detectives said it was clear all five cats had starved to death, adding it was a "slow and cruel" way to die and violated Florida Statutes.
The affidavit said junk, debris and garbage were piled up and littered around the property. "Thousands" of swarming flies, including large blowflies, were around the rotting garbage in addition to buckets of dirty water that had larvae inside. This, too, violated Florida Statutes, the sheriff's office said.
“This is the third case since December where we have found a woman who is hoarding animals to the point where they are being neglected and suffering from illnesses," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "The home, inside and out, is also what I would call unlivable. This particular suspect is no stranger to the criminal justice system, having been arrested in the past for various crimes. It is our hope these animals will be rehabilitated and able to be adopted out to loving homes, and that this suspect is no longer allowed to own animals.”
Briley was charged with the following:
- 28 counts of animal cruelty
- 5 counts of felony animal cruelty
- 1 count of confining an animal without sufficient food, water
- 1 count of keeping unpermitted landfill
- 1 count of keeping a nuisance injurious to health