Case Snapshot
Case ID: 13065
Classification: Hoarding
Animal: rodent/small mammal (pet), cat
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Monday, Feb 4, 2008

County: Manatee

Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 1 files available

Alleged: Brenda Steiner

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Prosecutors are expected to review a case of alleged animal cruelty after police found more than 24 cats and 100 hamsters living in poor conditions.

City police responded to a complaint Monday at a condominium in the 1900 block of Fifth Street West. A neighbor, police said, saw flies and cat feces on a window. Police said the residence was cluttered and roaches were crawling on the floors.

"I opened the back bedroom and my chest began hurting from the ammonia smell in the cat urine," Officer Mark P. Hashem wrote in a report.

Brenda Steiner, 52, told police she was trying to help the animals. Her husband, Mark, also lived in the condominium, police said.

The city Code Enforcement department deemed the home not fit for habitation. The Steiners have until the end of the week to clean up the mess or face possible fines, police said.

Manatee County Animal Services seized the cats and hamsters.

Police were initially called here after a maintenance man saw maggots coming through the ceiling into a vacant downstairs unit. Initially the circumstances were so bad with the maggots and the odor the officer feared there was actually a decomposing body.

The woman who lives there -- Brenda Steiner -- didn't want to appear on camera. Steiner denied having any cats inside. She admitted to hamsters, and tried to explain how that began.

"Somebody gave me a hamster, somebody gave me two hamsters and I didn't know much about hamsters, aren't they cute, put them together and we have more hamsters so I've been giving them away," Steiner explained.

Neighbors were shocked so many pets were inside one of the 800 square foot units. Police don't know how anyone could live with all these animals.

"Animal Control officers who responded had to use their air masks to do their work," Major Lewis said.

Steiner is a teacher's aide in the Manatee County School District.

Detectives have forwarded potential charges to the State Attorney's Office where lawyers will review the case for possible animal cruelty charges.


Case Updates

More than 120 total cats and hamsters are expected to be put to death after authorities found the animals crammed in a small condominium covered in feces, urine and maggots, according to city and county officials.

On Monday, just before 3 p.m., someone called police from the CityWalk Condominiums, at Fifth Street West and 19th Avenue West.

The caller told police "he observed flies, and what appeared to be blood" on the window of a condo in the complex, according to a Bradenton Police report.

When an officer entered the condo of Brenda and Marc Steiner, the conditions forced him to retreat from the smell of cat urine, according to a police report.

Officer Mark Hashem wrote that when he opened the bedroom door in the 817-square-foot condo his chest "began hurting from the ammonia smell of the cat urine."

There were several cats, overflowing litter boxes, feces, urine, and no food or water in the bedroom, according to the police report.

"I was forced from the residence to recover from the smell," Hashem wrote.

Manatee County Animal Services came to the condo and eventually pulled 27 cats and 101 hamsters from the Steiners' home.

Brenda Steiner, 52, a teacher's aide at a local elementary school, told animal services she was sorry and that "it would never happen again," according to the police report.

All of the animals are in such bad shape that they will have to be euthanized, according to Chris Weiskopf, animal services chief.

"It is unfortunate. But they are inbred, many of them are blind. They are all in really bad shape," Weiskopf said. "We have to look out for the animals' safety and basically put them out of their misery."

In seeing the condo, Bradenton Code Enforcement officials quickly ruled it to be "uninhabitable" for humans, according to compliance manager Volker Reiss.

"It wasn't a hard decision to make," he said. "The place was covered in feces, maggots and fleas."

Volker said the city has given the Steiners until next Monday to clean up the condo.

"We will be back Monday to take a look and see where we will go from here," he said.

The state attorney's office will decide if animal cruelty charges will be filed against the Steiners. Bradenton Police will be forwarding charges against the couple for a prosecutor's review, according to the police report.

On Tuesday, Brenda Steiner downplayed the city and county's response to her condo.

"We are pulling up the rugs. They just told us we had too many hamsters. That is all that happened," she said before declining further comment.
Source: Bradenton Herald - Feb 6, 2008
Update posted on Feb 7, 2008 - 12:48AM 

References

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