SEBRING — What started out as an eviction turned into a rescue operation in the southeast corner of Highlands County Tuesday afternoon.
Deputies initially went to 17215 Broadland Lane in the Kissimmee River Estates neighborhood at 3:11 p.m. on Tuesday, November 19, to initiate an eviction process. What they found inside the single-wide mobile home was 46 dogs and 8 cats living in what can only be described as deplorable conditions.
The entire floor of the home was covered in animal feces and there were many crates, the bottoms of which were also covered with several inches of feces, stacked upon each other. The crates, which contained both dogs and cats, were all covered with cloth that prevented any free air flow. None of the water bowls in the crates contained any water, although some were filled with urine.
Many of the dogs had visible flea infestations, several had noticeable hair loss and the dogs with long fur were matted with dried feces.
The home was infested with roaches and rats. The walls were covered with cobwebs and the entire home was filled with garbage.
While several animals were not caged, deputies were told that the ones who were confined in the kennels had never been let out of their cages.
Darlene Hutchinson, 66, and her son, 36-year-old Arthur Melvin Doliver, were both arrested and charged with 56 counts of animal cruelty. Deputies were told they had been living in the home for six years and started out with two dogs and one cat in the home.
“Treating even one animal like this is inexcusable, but having more than 50 of them living in this kind of condition is just mind boggling,” Sheriff Blackman said. “There is no reason anyone can give that would justify animals being kept in this kind of situation.”
It took Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services Unit, with assistance from deputies, several hours to retrieve all of the animals from the home. Since the Animal Services facility is undergoing a construction project and does not have available kennel space, all of the animals were taken to the Humane Society of Highlands County. They were scheduled to be seen by a veterinarian Wednesday morning.
“I want to thank Judy Spiegel and the rest of the staff at the Humane Society for coming out last night and helping us get these animals the immediate care they needed,” Sheriff Blackman said. “We know they are in good hands now and their lives are going to only get better.” Anyone who would like to assist the Humane Society can call 863-655-1522.
