‘I’m disgusted’: Citrus County couple accused of keeping 2 kids and 13 pets in messy house
Citrus County deputies say the kids have “faeces stuck to their feet.”
Beverly Hills, Florida. Citrus County deputies arrested a couple who they allege kept two children, 10 dogs and three cats in a house full of feces, urine and garbage.
Law enforcement officials reported to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office complaining that trash and trash were accumulating near the home, the sheriff’s office said.
When deputies investigated, they found the floor littered with trash, the air smelling of ammonia and “dried feces covering several areas throughout the house, including a significant amount of dry feces in the laundry room, which was also cluttered with trash,” the statement said. read.
According to the agency, deputies had to catch themselves not slipping on the urine-soaked floor, and they noticed feces caked on the feet of children and stuck between their toes.
The children were taken out of the house to stay with family friends, and the pets were sent to the Citrus County Animal Shelter. Michael Clayton Howey, 36, and Brenda Darla Howey, 37, were charged with 13 counts of animal cruelty and are each on $13,000 bail.
“It makes me sick that there are so many irresponsible people around who do not provide a safe living environment for their children or pets,” Sheriff Mike Prendergast said in a statement. “No human or animal should live in disgusting conditions like this one, and thanks to the excellent teamwork of our Animal Control and Code Enforcement department, these victims will no longer be subjected to such a disparaging environment.”
