County humane officials removed nine animals from a village house occupied by the same mother and daughter whose Gilmore residence was raided on July 13 because of deplorable living conditions.
The house at 676 S. River St. is owned by Tiffany A. Lynn of Columbus, according to County Humane Officer Dawn Smitley. It is occupied by Lynn�s mother, Alice Lynn, and sister, Tara Lynn. The two women also occupy the house at 12829 Gilmore Rd. SE owned by Alice Lynn.
On July 14, Smitley and her helpers removed four dogs, three cats and two turtles from the Newcomerstown residence as well as a carcass of a yet-to-be-determined animal.
On July 13, Smitley removed five dogs, three cats, four dead cats, three hens, one dead hen, two geese and a parakeet from the Gilmore house. She said one of the dogs and the three cats had to be euthanized Friday night because of their condition.
�We got the call last night when we were done in Gilmore,� Smitley said. �Residents in the area saw the story on (television) and contacted Newcomerstown police and said these people have animals here.�
Smitley got a search warrant Saturday morning and went to the house, accompanied by sheriff deputies and Newcomerstown police officers.
�The daughter was in the house cleaning up and the mother was sitting in the driveway in an automobile,� Smitley said. �The stench of feces, urine and dead animals was overpowering. We are not sure what the dead animal we found is. It may be a cat or a raccoon.
�We removed two dogs from inside the house, one dog from a building out back and a dog from the automobile the mother was in. We seized these animals due to their living conditions and the same safety concerns that we had for the animals (Friday night).�
Smitley said that the animals in Newcomerstown looked pretty good and the dogs appeared to have been freshly bathed. She said neighbors reported the pair appeared at the house shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, and the daughter had spent much of the night cleaning.
�The living conditions in this house are deplorable, again, like the house in Gilmore,� she said. �No one can understand how these people are living in these conditions. We had to walk across mountains of trash and garbage. We put fans in the windows to help with ventilation.�
Smitley described an upstairs room and the basement as �big litter boxes.� She said there was feces a foot deep across the floors.
�It is something out of a bad horror movie,� she said. She said neither residence has running water and both may be condemned. She said she was told a mummified dog found at the Gilmore house had died in 2000 but the Lynns never got around to burying it.
Smitley said her investigation into the matter continues, but she expects charges of animal abuse and neglect to be filed. She said theft charges also may be in order.
�We think some of these animals belong to other people because they have tags,� Smitley said. �We got multiple calls from people who have lost their dogs and have identified them. It looks like if an animal ran by their house, they took it and put it in a cage.�
Smitley plans to meet with prosecutors Monday and seek a court order for foster placement of the animals seized Saturday. Smitley said that although the Lynns relinquished the animals seized Friday, they would not relinquish the animals in Newcomerstown.
�I think (the women) were a little shocked we were here taking these animals,� Smitley said. �I think they thought they�d cleaned up. The daughter was bringing them outside on leashes before we got our warrant.
�When we took the dog out of the automobile, the daughter scratched my assistant and had to be subdued. The officers had to restrain her.�
Smitley noted she contacted the adult protective unit at the county Department of Job and Family Services after seeing the living conditions at Gilmore. Neighbors at both locations told Smitley the women sleep at the Gilmore house and go to Newcomerstown during the day.
According to Smitley, Newcomerstown police issued a citation to the Lynns for a trash/debris type of violation. When contacted Saturday night, police would not release any information about the case, stating it is still under investigation. Case UpdatesAlice M. Lynn, 70, of 676 S. River St., Newcomerstown, pleaded not guilty to all charges related to animal cruelty during her arraignment Tuesday in Tuscarawas County Court.
Lynn and her daughter, Tara M. Lynn, 42, of the same address, each were charged with 11 counts of prohibitions regarding companion animals and 12 counts of animal cruelty as a result of alleged violations regarding pets at their house at 12829 Gilmore Rd. SE, Port Washington, and the River St. residence.
The prohibition counts relate to the Lynns� alleged failure to provide food, water and/or shelter to four male dogs, four female dogs, six cats, two dead dogs and three dead cats. The animal cruelty charges allege torture of or deprivation of food and/or water from two cats, four dogs, one turtle, two geese, 10 chickens, two dead chickens and one decomposed animal of an unknown species.
After a complaint was made about the Gilmore Rd. residence to the county humane officer, numerous animals and birds were removed from the house July 13. The next day, after the humane officer received additional complaints, animals were taken from the River St. residence. Deplorable living conditions, including large amounts of animal feces, were discovered, along with several dead animals, at both locations, according to officials.
During the arraignment, Magistrate Kenneth R. Welch told Alice Lynn she is prohibited from living in a place with any animals while the court case is pending.
Alice Lynn said although she goes to her residence in Newcomerstown daily, she is living with her daughter in Fredericktown. She told Welch there are no animals at her daughter�s residence.
Tara Lynn�s arraignment was postponed until Tuesday. A date has not been scheduled for Alice Lynn�s trial. | Source: Times-Reporter - Sept 13, 2007
Update posted on Sep 13, 2007 - 2:52PM |
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