A Florida woman has been charged after 309 animals including 164 ducks, chickens, geese, cats and dogs were seized from her squalid property and mobile home.
Lisa Lacharite, 48, was arrested and charged with five counts of felony animal neglect, 304 counts of animal neglect and one count of elder neglect on Friday. She is currently being held at the Polk County jail without incident.
On Thursday, deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s office, performed a welfare check after someone had called regarding a possible ‘hoarder situation’ involving cats at the home on Fazzini Drive in Frostproof, a city near Central Florida.
Lacharite’s 75-year-old mother was also living in the home.
Deputies noticed a strong stench of ammonia outside the home upon arrival. Lacharite told police that she was her mother’s caregiver and that her mother had health issues.
When deputies entered they made the horrifying discovery of more than 300 animals in squalor and unsanitary conditions. Many were roaming free climbing on the furniture many appeared sickly and malnourished.
Many of the cats were lying across the kitchen counter tops with many looking sickly and appeared malnourished
At least fifty cats were seem running loose in the kitchen, living room, and utility room area
The filthy home stank of ammonia. Multiple animals were found perched on top of the fridge
At a press conference on Friday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd held up a picture of Lisa Lacharite, who he said is a second-grader teacher at Ben Hill Griffin Elementary School.
The sheriff said Lisa described herself as someone who ‘rescues animals,’ but once inside the conditions of their home showed a different story, one of abuse and neglect.
There were hundreds of cats, geese, ducks, birds, and dogs roaming the inside and outside of their mobile home.
Lisa Lacharite, 48, was arrested and charged with five counts of felony animal neglect and 304 counts of animal neglect
Sheriff Judd 309 animals were confiscated by the authorities and repeated the number. ‘Did you hear what I said? You can’t make this stuff up. You know it is true.’
He said conditions were so bad that deputies, and the SPCA that helped with investigation had to wear respirator masks due to the hazardous conditions.
‘Lisa is not an evil person. She is an overwhelmed cat lady,’ the sheriff said during the presser. ‘She clearly violated the law and she continued to violate the law.’
He added: ‘We found cats that were neglected, cats significantly ill.’
‘She has been charged with misdemeanor and felony charges and elderly neglect because she is the caregiver for her 75 -year-old mother.’
Lacharite admitted she knew the conditions inside the residence were not good for her and her mother or the animals.
She told the authorities that she has been overwhelmed by the amount of animals she has, and that it has become too much for her to handle.
She surrendered all of the animals, except for her three dogs and her mother’s three cats.
The investigation revealed that Lisa neglected to provide the legal obligations to care and support her animals.
According to the investigation, 304 of her animals that were confined to the residence, and smaller rooms inside the residence did not have a proper exchange of air.
The ammonia levels inside the residence were described as lethal to humans and animals over a period of time.
These environmental factors caused at least five of her cats to repeatedly suffer eye and nasal discharge and significant respiratory problems in the form of coughing and wheezing.
Deputies reported that Lisa’s mother, who was not named, had glassy eyes and was not easily able to move.She was taken from the residence.
At least five of her cats were reported to suffer eye and nasal discharge and significant respiratory problems in the form of coughing and wheezing
Deputies and animal control specialists found approximately ten litter boxes lined down the home’s hallway, all of which were filled with urine and feces
During the investigation, deputies found the following animals climbing on furniture, and sitting on the kitchen counters, and inside the cabinets in the kitchen that had been filled with urine and feces.
Dried feces were also found on the floors and walls.
Multiple chickens, ducks, geese, and a peacock in wire kennels that were stacked in two and three rows high on the front porch of the residence.
Dirty water was found in containers in the pens, and all of the pens contained large amounts of feces on the bottom of the wire cages.
Many appeared the cages had not been cleaned for an extended period of time.
The stench inside the home was so foul police and animal care workers had to wear gas masks
Animal rights groups are now working to rehome the hundreds of creatures that were removed from the house
The air quality was poor and the strong odor of ammonia caused a burning and irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat.
Three of the cat in kennels were nursing kittens.
Approximately 50 more cats were located inside the back room of the residence, inside the middle bedroom, and dog and more chickens and ducks in cages and bins.
Polk County Fire Rescue responded with an ammonia reader and collected an air samples inside the residence.
The samples read between 70 and 100 parts per million ammonia. PCFR personnel advised anything over 50 parts per million was hazardous to health.
All of the animals have been removed from the residence were transported to Animal Control. T
The animals will be evaluated by veterinarians. Polk County Animal Control will work with the general public, the SPCA, and animal rescue organizations to find forever homes for animals.
Polk County Animal Control asked the public who are interested in adopting the animals to contact them at [email protected].
The Polk County Sheriff Officer’s, members of Polk County Animal Control, the Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit, were involved in the investigation.
In addition, to the Agricultural Crimes, Crime Scene, and Southeast District patrol.