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A Florida woman has been charged after 309 animals, including 164 ducks, chickens, geese, cats and dogs, were confiscated from her seedy property and mobile home.
Lisa Lacharite, 48, was arrested and charged with five counts of animal neglect, 304 counts of animal neglect and one count of elder neglect on Friday. She is currently being held in the Polk County Jail without incident.
On Thursday, deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office conducted a welfare check after someone called about a possible “hoarder situation” involving cats at the home on Fazzini Drive in Frostproof, a town near Central Florida.
Lacharite’s 75-year-old mother also lived in the home.
Officers noticed a strong stench of ammonia outside the home upon arrival. Lacharite told police she was her mother’s caregiver and that her mother had health problems.
When officers entered, they made the horrifying discovery of more than 300 animals in squalid and unsanitary conditions. Many roamed freely climbing on furniture and many appeared sickly and malnourished.
Many of the cats were lying on the kitchen counters and many appeared sickly and malnourished.
At least fifty cats appeared to be loose in the kitchen, living room and laundry room.
The dirty house reeked of ammonia. Several animals were found on top of the refrigerator.
At a news conference Friday, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd showed a photo of Lisa Lacharite, who he said is a second-grade teacher at Ben Hill Griffin Elementary School.
The sheriff said Lisa described herself as someone who ‘rescues animals,’ but once inside the conditions of her home she showed a different story, one of abuse and neglect.
There were hundreds of cats, geese, ducks, birds and dogs roaming around inside and outside their mobile home.
Lisa Lacharite, 48, was arrested and charged with five counts of animal neglect and 304 counts of animal neglect.
Authorities confiscated 309 animals from Sheriff Judd and repeated the number. ‘Did you hear what I said? You can’t make this stuff up. You know it’s true.
He said conditions were so bad that officers and the SPCA who assisted with the investigation had to wear respiratory masks because of the dangerous conditions.
‘Lisa is not an evil person. “She is an overwhelmed cat lady,” the sheriff said during the press conference. “She clearly violated the law and continued to violate the law.”
And he added: “We found abandoned cats, seriously ill cats.”
“She has been charged with misdemeanors and felonies and elder neglect because she is the caregiver for her 75-year-old mother.”
Lacharite admitted that she knew the conditions inside the residence were not good for her, her mother or the animals.
She told authorities that she has been overwhelmed by the number of animals she has and that it has become too much for her.
He gave up all the animals, except his three dogs and his mother’s three cats.
The investigation revealed that Lisa failed to meet her legal obligations to care for and support her animals.
According to the investigation, 304 of their animals that were confined to the residence and in smaller rooms within the residence did not have adequate air exchange.
Ammonia levels within the residence were described as lethal to humans and animals over a period of time.
These environmental factors caused at least five of their cats to repeatedly suffer from eye and nasal discharge and significant respiratory problems in the form of coughing and wheezing.
Deputies reported that Lisa’s mother, who was not identified, had glassy eyes and could not move easily. They took her out of the residence.
At least five of her cats were reported to have suffered from eye and nasal discharge and significant respiratory problems in the form of coughing and wheezing.
Officers and animal control specialists found approximately ten litter boxes lined up in the hallway of the home, all filled with urine and feces.
During the investigation, officers found the following animals climbing on furniture, sitting on kitchen counters, and inside kitchen cabinets that had been filled with urine and feces.
Dried feces were also found on floors and walls.
Multiple chickens, ducks, geese and a peacock in wire hutches stacked two or three rows high on the front porch of the residence.
Dirty water was found in containers in the pens, and all pens contained large amounts of feces in the bottom of the wire cages.
Many looked like the cages had not been cleaned for an extended period of time.
The stench inside the house was so unpleasant that 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 home.
The air quality was poor and the strong smell of ammonia caused burning and irritation to the eyes, nose and throat.
Three of the cats in the kennels were nursing kittens.
Approximately 50 more cats were placed inside the back room of the residence, inside the middle bedroom, and dogs and more chickens and ducks in cages and containers.
Polk County Fire Rescue responded with an ammonia reader and collected air samples inside the residence.
The samples read between 70 and 100 parts per million ammonia. PCFR staff warned that anything above 50 parts per million was hazardous to health.
All animals that were 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 permanent homes for the animals.
Polk County Animal Control asked the public interested in adopting the animals to contact them at AnimalControl@polksheriff.org.
A Polk County sheriff’s deputy, members of Polk County Animal Control, Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit, were involved in the investigation.
Also, to the Agricultural Crimes, Crime Scene and Southeast District patrol.