Hoarding - nearly two dozen animals seized Peoria, AZ (US) Incident Date: Thursday, Apr 14, 2005 County: Maricopa Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Alleged: Laura Jean Kuhn

Case ID: 4502 Classification: Neglect / Abandonment Animal: cat, dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in AZ (US) Login to Watch this Case

Peoria police arrested Laura Kuhn, May 2, 2005, on 21 counts of animal cruelty, and this is not the first time she's faced this kind of charge.

Officers were first called to Laura Kuhn's home in the Chador trailer park on April 14. That's when a neighbor reported a strong smell emanating for Kuhn's mobile home. At that time, nobody had seen Kuhn for several days.

At the home, animal control officers discovered nearly two dozen cats and two dogs living in deplorable conditions. The home was so bad -- infested with fleas and filled with waste -- that the officers had to put on protective gear.

Not only was the mobile home allegedly filthy, the animals reportedly did not have any water. Several of them were sick; at least nine had to be euthanized.

And it wasn't just the animals that needed medical attention.

According to Shelly Watkins of the Peoria Police Department, two animal control officers who required medical care after leaving the trailer. What's more, everybody and everything, including vehicles, connected with the rescue operation had to be decontaminated.

Of the cats that had to be out down, at least one tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Syndrome (FIV). The other animals will have to be tested for that and other highly contagious and potentially deadly diseases that cannot be treated and often spread in this kind of situation.

The surviving animals are in the care of the Arizona Human Society.

Kuhn's home has been condemned and she is facing nine felony and 12 misdemeanor charges. Those charges could mean up to three year in prison for Kuhn.

This is not the first time Kuhn has been charged with animal cruelty. She was arrested in 2001 while living in another city. At that time, officers found 32 animals, including 20 dead animals, in her home. She pleaded guilty in that case and was fined $1,300.

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References

fox11az.com - May 3, 2005

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