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Case #11467 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Hoarding over 100 animals, 13 monkeys
Tonopah, AZ (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, May 9, 2007
County: Maricopa
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Daniel Bert Clendenen
» Annette M. Clendenen
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
More than 100 animals are in the care of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office after deputies investigating reports of cruelty Wednesday raided a Wintersburg residence near the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.
A Sheriff's Office spokeswoman described the house as "disgusting" and said Child Protective Services also removed two children, ages 5 and 16, from the home on May 8.
Deputy Lindsey Smith said that seven complaints had been filed about the property in less than a year and that deputies had visited it previously to educate the owners about caring for the animals.
"It's one of the biggest (animal cruelty cases) we've had," Smith said.
Deputies arrested Daniel Clendenen, 49, and his wife, Annette, 45, on suspicion of two counts each of felony child abuse and six counts of animal cruelty for failure to provide shelter, water and medical attention.
Deputies and veterinarians removed horses, tortoises, dogs, chickens and 13 monkeys. Many of the animals suffered from malnourishment and lacked water, shelter and medical care, Smith said.
"We're getting into the 100s (temperature-wise), and they were not providing any of that (care) for these animals," she said.
Deputies also found an unattended dog giving birth during the raid, Smith added.
"There will be, needless to say, more charges coming through everything we've discovered today," she said.
The owners said they were operating a commercial boarding or grooming operation, Smith said, but deputies found no evidence of an established business.
"It wasn't abuse, that wasn't even the case," said Danny Clendenen, who lives with his parents.
Danny called the raid "harassment" and said the animals were well-cared for, receiving regular medical attention, baths and daily feedings.
Deputies mistook some of the dogs' small bellies, for example, for malnourishment when they had simply not been fed yet that morning, he said.
Danny said the family kept nearly 150 dogs, six horses, six chickens, a rooster, a goose and two tortoises. The primates included bonnet and spider monkeys, he said.
"It's a task (caring for so many animals), I'll give them that, but it does get done," Danny said.
Some neighbors complained that the Clendenens' dogs ran free in neighbors' yards on multiple occasions.
David Scher, who lives nearby, said Daniel Clendenen once sought to purchase one of his horses.
But the prospective buyer's plan to simply feed and water the horse suggested that he did not realize how much care was involved.
"I just think they honestly got in over their heads," Scher said.
The couple's children are in the care of CPS, and the animals are under the care of veterinarians and the sheriff's Animal Safe Hospice, Smith said.
The Sheriff's Office will care for them until the criminal matter is resolved, she said.
If Daniel and Annette Clendenen are convicted, the animals could be made available for adoption, Smith said.
The investigation is ongoing.
According to records, Annette Clendenen has a DBA ("Doing business as") license under the name of Clendenen Kennels, the kennel license for which (#397) was renewed in March 2007 to extend to March 20, 2008.
Case UpdatesA Tonopah couple have pleaded to animal cruelty after Maricopa County sheriff's deputies removed more than 150 animals from their home last year.
Under a plea agreement, Daniel B. Clendenen, 50, and Annette M. Clendenen, 46, pleaded guilty to 10 counts each of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor. The agreement was filed last month in the Estrella Mountain Justice Court in Buckeye.
The defendants were each sentenced to two days in jail and 36 months of probation, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. In addition, they will be required to reimburse the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in caring for the animals. During probation, they are prohibited from owning or possessing animals, the county Attorney's Office said.
The Clendenens' attorney, Philip Duda, did not return calls for comment.
The Sheriff's Office removed 145 dogs, as well as monkeys, chickens, tortoises and horses on May 9 while serving a search warrant at the property along Wintersburg Road, near the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.
In an interview with deputies, Daniel Clendenen said the number of dogs had "gotten way out of control" and he no longer could care for the animals, documents show. | Source: Arizona Republic - April 25, 2008
Update posted on Apr 27, 2008 - 11:30PM |
Ten monkeys that were rescued from a Tonopah home in April were sent off Thursday to an animal sanctuary in Valentine, near Kingman.
The monkeys, along with 150 other animals, were rescued from the home in the "biggest animal abuse case we've had," Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.
The monkeys were housed in Tent City for the past two weeks, Arpaio said. The monkeys will be sent to a privately operated animal sanctuary, owned by animal rescuer Jonathan Craft.
Previous to the rescue, the monkeys lived under dirty conditions in the home of Daniel and Annette Clendenen and their two children. Child Protective Services took the two children into custody and the couple was jailed, Arpaio said.
In addition to the monkeys, the Clendenens kept 150 other animals at the home including horses, donkeys, tortoises and 130 dogs.
One monkey died shortly after being taken from the home. Two others had to be euthanized because they carried the herpes B virus, which can be fatal to humans if active, veterinary technician Linda Truitt said.
Some of the dogs at the home were pregnant at the time of the rescue, so the number of dogs in custody may soon grow to 150, Arpaio said.
Arpaio is housing the dogs in the air-conditioned First Avenue Jail.
Donations of blankets, puppy food, toys and money are greatly needed to care for these dogs. Donations can be delivered to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, on 100 W. Washington Street. Arpaio is also seeking people to adopt the dogs.
Arpaio, who received an award last week from the American Humane Society for fighting animal abuse, vowed not to euthanize any of the animals unless absolutely necessary. | Source: Arizona Republic - May 24, 2007
Update posted on May 29, 2007 - 2:25PM |
Revealing new photos give an inside look at a home where more than 150 animals were found.
Daniel and Annette Clendenen are facing charges of animal abuse and child neglect after chickens, horses and monkeys were found both inside and outside of their West Valley residence.
Two children, including the suspects' 5-year-old granddaughter, Jessica, were also living at the house and today, the mother of the child criticized the living conditions, saying she ran around outside barefooted and walked around feces.
"They grew her up into another animal -- one of their own animals -- she's not a pet," said Annette Allen, Jessica's mother.
Fighting back tears, Allen talked about her daughter.
"Every time I talk to her on the phone, she's always saying, 'Mommy, I love you, I want to come with you,'" Allen said.
Jessica doesn't live with Allen because she admits to past drug use so the child has been living with her paternal grandparents.
But earlier this week, deputies raided the property, removing horses, dogs, turtles and monkeys after receiving several complaints alleging abuse of both animals and children.
Allen said she wasn't surprised.
"They had animals like a zoo! There were animal droppings, food mixed with droppings, dirty water," Allen said. "One of the ponds was green. My daughter would be allowed to swim in that."
Living in the middle of the mess was the Clendenens' 16-year-old daughter, Keisha.
Allen took photos during a visit to the home in December. She claims the animals were allowed to go inside the home.
"This is where the monkeys were, in the kitchen," she said.
The Clandenens were arrested and charged with animal cruelty and child abuse. The abuse charge was for allowing the girls to live in that environment.
Allen admits that she and Jessica's father both had problems with substance abuse, which is why the court placed the child in temporary custody of the Clendenens in the first place, but she claims she is now clean and will fight for her daughter.
"I just want my baby," she said.
Child Protective Services would not confirm if they had ever been called out to the Clendenen home. State law prohibits them from discussing any case. | Source: AZ Family - May 11, 2007
Update posted on Jun 24, 2007 - 6:56PM |
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