Hoarding - 28 cats, 2 dogs Lake Wales, FL (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2005 County: Polk Local Map: available Disposition: Not Charged Person of Interest: Irene Hall

Case ID: 5252 Classification: Hoarding Animal: cat, dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in FL (US) Login to Watch this Case

Sheriff's deputies checking on a Lake Wales in May found 28 cats and two dogs milling around a home that reeked so badly it made emergency workers' eyes water. The Polk County Sheriff's Office wants to take custody of the animals so they can be put up for adoption, saying their owner is unable to care for them.

On May 3, Deputy Kevin Loder checked on Irene Hall at her Martha Drive home after a neighbor reported he hadn't seen her in several days.

The garage door was secured with a chain. When Loder opened the door as far as the chain would allow, a strong smell of ammonia wafted out.

Thinking the home's occupant might be injured or dead, Loder broke the garage door open and tried to open an interior door. Hall was inside and refused to come out. She said she was fine and was going to the doctor the following day for a leg injury.

Loder peered through a window and saw Hall, thin and weak and kneeling next to the window, leaning against a wall.

Deputies then forced their way in and opened the door for paramedics.

Hall's animals had urinated on the floors, bed and furniture, and the smell was so overwhelming that deputies and medical workers could only stay inside for a few minutes at a time, according to a Sheriff's Office report

The only food in the house was spoiled, according to the report.

Hall refused to go to the hospital to have her leg treated. She was involuntarily committed to a hospital psychiatric ward because she was unable to care for herself, Loder's report said.

Deputies took the animals to an animal shelter. Many were overweight, causing liver and kidney problems, according to Polk County Sheriff's spokesman Scott Wilder.

Three cats later died.

The Sheriff's Office filed a petition seeking custody of the animals and asking a judge not to return the animals to Hall.

According to sheriff's Lt. Rob Oakman, Hall's family has asked that the animals be given to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for adoption.

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

The Ledger - May 20, 2005

« FL State Animal Cruelty Map

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.