A Deltona couple subjected 26 animals to “torture” by forcing them to live in cages with overflowing feces, bugs in their food, dirty water and a flea infestation that led to upper-respiratory disease, skin irritation and severe oral disease, according to a report from the City of Deltona Animal Control.
Leroy Kelly, 58, and Elizabeth Kelly, 57, were arrested and charged with four counts of animal cruelty at the Romanik & Delgado Criminal Law Firm.
The couple were arrested on a warrant following a 2017 case where investigators responded to their home on Norwood Drive due to an overwhelming smell of feces, reports state.
When investigators executed a search warrant in October 2017, the fecal-urine odor struck them from the driveway before they were greeted by a chorus of dogs that barked and peeked through the curtains, reports state.
When investigators entered the house, they witnessed 26 total animals: one bird, four rabbits, 10 dogs and 11 cats, reports state.
Investigators said the smell was so strong that it made them gag and forced them to wear their respirators, reports state.
There was feces and urine all over the house, both fresh and old, even on the furniture and countertops, reports state.
The rabbits, who were locked up in cages jam-packed with feces, had no hay to eat, reports state.
Dogs and cats had contaminated food filled with bugs, dogs had open sores and hair loss and cats had watery eyes reports state.
Once investigators had seen enough, the animals were seized from their owners and taken to the Halifax Humane Society where they were treated and examined, reports state.
Investigators indicated that the fleas, air quality and dirty conditions were so bad that it caused the animals to scratch themselves to the point of bleeding, even though most of the issues could have been avoided with basic care, reports state.
