Hoarding 39 animals
Plattsmouth, NE (US)Incident Date: Friday, May 29, 2009
County: Cass
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Cheryl A. Lillie
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
Animal Control officers seized 39 animals and a cage full of mice from owners who were already on probation for animal neglect, according to officer Sue Baker.
"By the smell, from my experience, I knew it would not be a good situation," Baker said.
Officers said the animals were removed from the Plattsmouth home of Linda and Cheryl Lillie, who in 2006 faced 176 charges of animal neglect when officers rescued 170 cats and dogs from their Iowa home. The charges there were eventually dropped when the women signed away their rights to the animals. They are still on probation for the 2006 case.
On Friday, officers acting on a tip found 33 cats, two dogs and three ferrets, Baker said. The animals were taken to a rescue shelter.
Police said the house was infested with thousands of cockroaches.
"They were on the walls, the floors, they covered every surface," Baker said.
She said some of the cats were beginning to get sick because of the crowded, filthy conditions.
"They become very sickly and they start sneezing, even coughing, draining from the nose, eyes and mouth, even," Baker said.
A veterinarian will check out the animals before anyone decides whether they can be adopted to new homes.
The two sisters were also forced to leave the home after it was deemed to be uninhabitable. No one will be allowed back in the home until it is cleaned.
In the 2006 seizure, one animal cruelty investigator at the scene told KETV that she broke down into tears upon seeing the conditions in which the animals lived.
"You can't even fathom what these animals have gone through," investigator Tina Updegrove said.
The sisters were also charged with neglect in 1992 after authorities found them with more than 50 cats.
Case UpdatesA former Plattsmouth resident is headed to trial on 33 counts of animal cruelty.
During her arraignment this week, 51-year-old Cheryl Lillie pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were filed after her home was deemed uninhabitable in May.
Authorities say the house was unsanitary, filled with animals and infested with insects. Thirty-three cats, three ferrets, two dogs and several mice were removed from the house. Eleven of the animals had to be put down.
If convicted, Lillie faces up to a year in jail on each charge. | Source: Journal-Star - Aug 22, 2009
Update posted on Aug 23, 2009 - 12:57PM |
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