Animals rescued from home covered in feces - Loveland, OH

Wednesday, Apr 27, 2011

County: Hamilton

Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Gayle Allison Murad

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Several dogs and cats living in squalor were rescued from a home here and the owner was charged with several counts of animal cruelty.

Police have charged Gayle Murad, 48, 10152 S. Ohio 48, with 10 counts of animal cruelty, after police, the Warren County dog warden and health department executed a search warrant Wednesday at her home.

Hamilton Twp. Police Major Scott Carlton said they rescued seven dogs and three cats, but another seven cats escaped.

"The house has been condemned it was so bad," he said. "The house was just covered in animal feces, garbage, rotting, everything."

Carlton said the three cats are infected with worms and will likely be put to sleep. He was unsure about the condition of the dogs. All the animals were taken to the Warren County Humane Society.

Murad is being held at the Warren County Jail on a $77,500 bond and Carlton said additional charges are pending.

Case Updates

A judge has temporarily banned a Hamilton Township woman from owning pets and has ordered her to find new owners for the pets taken out of her filthy, condemned home. Warren County Court Judge Joseph Kirby on Tuesday ordered that Gayle Murad, 48, is forbidden from owning any pets until her probation ends on Nov. 13, 2012. Last week, Murad had pleaded no contest to five animal cruelty charges and three charges of failure to register a dog. The judge ordered her to continue undergoing mental health counseling. During an April 27 search of Murad's home, local police, animal control and health officials said they found conditions among the most deplorable they had ever seen. Officials said she was believed to have 17 pets living with her at the time. Seven cats escaped; three were captured and were voluntarily surrendered to the animal shelter. Besides the six dogs she was ordered to relinquish, Murad was dog-sitting a seventh dog, which was was returned to its rightful owner, officials said.

Source: coshoctontribune.com - May 31. 2011 Update posted on May 31, 2011 - 8:14PM

Photos of a Hamilton Township home, condemned because it was full of animal waste and garbage, sickened a Warren County judge. "It almost makes me nauseous just looking at them," County Court Judge Joseph Kirby told Gayle Murad, 48, who had 17 pets living at her residence. During an April 27 search of the home, local police, animal control and health officials said they found conditions among the most deplorable they had ever seen. Kirby was incredulous that many people wrote letters on Murad's behalf, all basically attesting to her caring nature. After seeing photos of the conditions in which she kept the animals, Kirby said he wondered about the letter-writers: "I would almost question them and say: 'Are you kidding me? Are you for real?'" Kirby placed Murad on 18 months of probation and ordered her to continue mental-health counseling Tuesday after she pleaded no contest to five animal cruelty charges and no contest to three charges of failure to register a dog. He also fined her $50 plus court costs on each of the cruelty counts. Five additional charges of animal cruelty and four dog-registration charges were dropped in exchange for Murad's no-contest pleas. Deciding on probation and fines was the easy part of the case, Kirby said. "The more compelling issue is what to do with the animals," Kirby said. Murad grew tearful as Kirby noted that Murad has been struggling with several personal issues that might interfere with her ability to resume caring for animals. "It is an awesome responsibility," he told her. Kirby set another hearing for May 31 to decide what to do with the remaining animals. He said he would seek a recommendation from County Dog Warden Nathan Harper. After court, Harper said one of the seven dogs that were taken from the home was returned to its owner �" someone who asked Murad to dog-sit and "had no idea" of the conditions in Murad's home. The remaining six dogs and three cats that were taken from Murad's home were still being cared for at the Warren County Humane Association shelter, Harper said. When found, some of Murad's animals were underweight and/or suffering from mange or other afflictions caused by the unsanitary conditions, Harper said. The pets are doing well now, he said, and none had to be euthanized. Seven additional cats that had been living at the home escaped before authorities could catch them, officials said. Murad has been living with friends after her house was condemned. Filthy, unsanitary conditions and lack of running water in the home violated the county's minimum health standards, County Health Commissioner Duane Stansbury said previously. Owners or renters are given chances to abate problems before a court steps in and allows the health department to take over, Stansbury said. Health officials handling the case were unavailable Tuesday, and a receptionist was unable to disclose whether Murad had corrected the problems. Murad's lawyer, C. Keith Nixon of Lebanon, could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

Source: zanesvilletimesrecorder.com - May 24, 2011 Update posted on May 24, 2011 - 10:23PM

References

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