Hoarding - 58 cats seized
Vernon Hills, IL (US)Incident Date: Friday, Apr 15, 2005
County: Lake
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Cheryl Hope Levin
A broken washing machine led to the second discovery of animal hoarding in Vernon Hills in the past five months. Health officials removed 54 cats on April 15 and returned April 18 for four more from a rented condo at 14 Crestview Lane.
The occupant, Cheryl H. Levin, 58, was charged with animal hoarding and violating the Illinois Dead Animal Disposal Act. She was released on her own recognizance pending a May 9 court date.
The finding came after a neighbor in the unit below called police Friday evening regarding a water leak that had damaged her ceiling. After noting a 5-foot section of the ceiling had dropped, police went upstairs and were allowed inside by an unidentified male resident.
The officer noted a large amount of debris, numerous cats and a strong odor, Vernon Hills police spokesman Kim Christenson said.
"Things didn't look normal," he said.
Lake County health officials were called and began removing the animals, some of which were in bad shape.
"None of them actually were dead," Christenson said. "Some were lifeless to the point they were close to death."
Five of the animals, including three kittens, were euthanized, according to Leslie Piotrowski, spokeswoman for the Lake County health department. The rest were examined and sent to two local shelters.
"In the past two animal hoarding situations, the one in Lake Zurich and in Vernon Hills, the animals were found in deplorable shape," she said. "In this situation, the animals were much more healthy, friendly and adoptable."
Police declined to discuss statements by Levin regarding the situation. Christenson said discussions are ongoing with the state's attorney's office regarding the second charge, as none of the cats inside the condo were dead. The first charge is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
The condo was declared uninhabitable, although none of the other residents in the six-unit building were displaced.
"The rest of the building is fine," Christenson said. "Until Unit 7 is tested and cleaned out, no one is living there." Neither police nor health authorities had received any complaints regarding the situation. References
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