Authorities dodged piles of animal feces and wore masks while they removed 70 animals including dogs, cats, a 450-pound hog, a fox, lizards, goats, horses, a pony and snakes from a home in rural Winnebago Thursday.
The owner of the animals, 39-year-old Kerry Brumm, walked freely and unmasked among the filth. She claimed people left the animals in her front yard because she was known for taking in strays.
Director of Winnebago County Animal Services Gary Longanecker believes Brumm claimed she was an animal rescuer on a Web site. A couple from a Chicago suburb reported the filthy living conditions to authorities after traveling to Brumm's home to adopt animals from her Web site.
Authorities investigated the case for three months before seizing the animals Thursday. Some animals were thin but appeared to be healthy, Longanecker said. Brumm cooperated with authorities but cried when she learned her animals would be taken from her.
"I love these animals," Brumm said. "They�re my family. This is like someone tore my family apart. I'm going to try to get them back. I hope they get the care like I cared for them. They were not hurt or neglected, and when it got cold, they stayed in the house with me."
What authorities found in Brumm's home alarmed them the most. Officers of Winnebago County Animal Services, state�s attorney�s investigators, sheriff�s police, the Health Department, Illinois Department of Natural Resources police and an investigator from the Illinois Department of Agriculture assisted.
They seized 26 dogs � from Yorkies to a Great Dane � from inside the home and more than 10 from the front lawn and back yard.
They also found two litters of pit bull puppies no more than 6 weeks old, said David Mace, an investigator from the state's attorney�s office working with the Animal Services Department to look into animal abuse.
Longanecker said the one-story ranch-style home has three bedrooms, a basement, a small kitchen and living room. He estimated the house to be about 1,200 square feet.
A cinnamon-colored fox lived outside in a 12-by-12-foot cage along with goats, the 450-pound hog named Rusty, four horses and a pony.
"A preliminary investigation indicates a lack of food and water and shelter of not all but a lot of the animals," Longanecker said. "Of all the cases I've investigated, this has to rank at the top. Her first question was how do I get the animals back.
The Winnebago County Health Department condemned the home because the excessive amount of feces and urine created sanitary concerns. Brumm will be allowed to clean the home during the day but cannot stay overnight. Meanwhile, she is staying with a relative, she said.
Charges were not filed against Brumm Thursday, but investigators plan to take the evidence they found at the home to the state�s attorney�s office. Charges may be filed today, and Brumm could be taken into custody.
Brumm said she�s lived in her home in the 6300 block of Tipple Road for seven years. She lives alone and is unemployed.
"I don�t understand the need for all this," Brumm said as investigators carted cats out of her home. "I have plenty of friends that know me and would vouch for me. I was in the middle of working on this house."
Mace told Brumm she may get some of her animals back if she brings her home back up to Health Department codes, but not all of them.
"She felt she was doing the right thing," Mace said. "But there�s too many here for her to handle. It�s too many for one person to take care of no matter how hard you try."
Tammy Stevenson, a veterinarian with Winnebago County Animal Services, said none of the animals were in life-threatening conditions.
Most of the seized animals will be at the Winnebago County Animal Services building for medical examinations. The horses and pony are with the Hooved Animal Rescue of Harvard.
"All the animals lived together so they are pretty friendly and staying in rooms together," Stevenson said. "You see this kind of stuff happen on TV, but I never thought I�d see a place with this many animals. They just kept coming." Case UpdatesMarch 18, 2004
Forty-three animals were returned to Kerry Brumm after warrant issues sank the case.
ROCKFORD � The wording of a search warrant and how that warrant was carried out have led to the dismissal of animal cruelty and neglect charges against a Winnebago County woman who was accused of hoarding animals in January 2004.
Associate Judge Robert Coplan last week threw out the search warrant used to seize 70 animals from Kerry Brumm�s rural Rockford home two months ago. Forty-three animals were returned to Brumm late last week, and Wednesday the criminal misdemeanor charges against the 40-year-old animal lover were dropped. | | Update posted on Mar 19, 2004 - 6:24PM |
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