Pets Removed From NW Indiana Home Deemed Unfit For Human Habitation
CROWN POINT, Ind. (CBS) -- Police in Crown Point, Ind., made a disturbing discovery Wednesday inside a home where neighbors had complained they'd been attacked by animals.
CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports that pet after pet was carted out of the house and police said no one should have been living in the conditions they had found inside.
Police removed two cats, three dogs and a blue and gold Macaw from the house at 10705 Lane St. Police and neighbors said the home is falling apart.
Rachel Brown described the home as "horrendous."
Tracy Heiser said, "I don't even think I have a word for it."
A host of Lake County Sheriff's officers and health officials converged on the home Wednesday, armed with a search warrant, gas masks, and other protective gear – clearly prepared for the worst.
They had to force their way in to find the animals and carry them out one by one.
"The animals chased my children all the time. We called the police," Heiser said.
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Officers said you didn't even have to get close to the house to tell it was a total mess.
The homeowner apparently didn't have running water, so she used dozens of jugs of water.
Now, the home has been marked unfit for human habitation. When you step inside, there's a stench of ammonia, and you can see straight through to the rafters.
Officers found urine-soaked floorboards and standing water - conditions they said no animal or human should have to withstand.
Lake County Sheriff's Detective Michelle Dvorscak said, "There were concerns, because there's holes in the roof. So if it rained, it was raining into the residence. If it snowed, it was snowing into the residence."
The house was in such bad shape, the homeowner was apparently flushing raw sewage into the yard. She hasn't been charged yet. Police want to meet with her Thursday to get her help.
