Hoarding, child neglect - 11 dogs seized
Tampa, FL (US)

Incident Date: Friday, Nov 7, 2008
County: Hillsborough

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged:
» Shelia Overton
» Cindy Overton
» Craig Overton
» Cedric Wilson
» Irven Brend

Hillsborough County Animal Services began an investigation Friday after a report of a house so filthy with animal feces and urine the stench was smelled on the street coming from 3015 73 Street North.

Five were arrested Saturday as a result of what investigators found. 11 dogs were suffering from parasites and anemia. The excrement was caked on some of the animals and one dog was given immediate treatment for a possible broken leg.

Two young children were living in the house as well. Marti Ryan with animal services says the Family and Youth Services was contacted after finding the children living in a dirty home. Some of the dogs were pit bull mix and others shepherd/chow mix. County animal services will seek custody of the animals.

The shelter was alerted by the home owner who rented the property to the five suspects. A Realtor checked the property on the owner's behalf and discovered the deplorable condition.

The real estate agent contacted the home owner who called animal services.

Craig Overton, Shelia Overton, Cindy Overton, Irven Brend and Cedric Wilson were arrested and charged with a number of animal cruelty and neglect charges.

According to Hillsborough County Animal Services, three of the dogs were malnourished, another had a leg injury that was so severe the leg was swollen twice its size, and a Chihuahua was allegedly infested with parasites.

But Jade Fernandez, a friend of the family, insists the family cared for the animals.

"If they didn't love their animals they wouldn't have so many of them," Fernandez said. "You can see they care about animals; they're just poor."

Investigators say there were no running water and no electricity in the house, and Sears said he watched the family sleep outside a number of times.

Animal services says it has had problems with some of the adults arrested in this cruelty case before. A spokesperson says it involved other animals in a separate incident.

References

• ABC Action News - Nov 9, 2008
• Bay News 9 - Nov 9, 2008

« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Hillsborough County, FL

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.