More Animals Removed From Chartiers Twp. House Of Filth, Couple Ordered Off Property
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CHARTIERS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- Animal control officers have seized more animals and are ordering a couple out of their Washington County home in order to tear it down due to the conditions inside and outside.
Officials say this is not the first time they have removed animals from the home. This latest incident marks the fifth time in a dozen years that animal control officers have had to seize animals.
William Moore, 69, and Marci Jo Klinzing, 49, live in the Chartiers Township home on Crossroads Road. Filth and trash can be spotted even outside the residence.
"We have been actively trying to get that property cleaned up for a while," said Jodi Noble, Chartiers Township's manager.
According to the Observer-Reporter, a judge declared the site a nuisance last summer and ordered the building demolished and the property cleaned.
Now, signs have been posted, ordering Moore and Klinzing off the property. Authorities say it is inhabitable.
"The roof has now failed and it's covered by a tarp," said Noble. "The inside of the dwelling is exposed to the elements."
Animal control officers say it's not fit for animals either. Thursday marked the fifth time in a dozen years that neglected animals were removed from the property.
A humane officer said he found at least 15 cats, some of them sickly, inside the home, and could hear a dog barking, according to the Observer-Reporter.
"There were animals that were in the walls, there were animals outside that didn't seem to have adequate water," said Noble.
It turns out the couple was violating a court order which forbids them from having animals on the property.
The Observer-Reporter reports the violation stems from a court order in an animal cruelty case in December of 2016. Eight dogs were removed then. In another case last June, dozens more animals were removed from the home and the pair was charged with 48 counts of animal cruelty.
Don't expect the house to come down any time soon. There's a lot of paper work yet. They have to post notice, they have to put it out for bids. But the township is hopeful that finally they can tear the place down.