Law enforcement say a man lived in a dilapidated two-story house with his malnourished pets alongside dead ones.
Steven Howell, 48, of Sweet Springs, Missouri is facing a misdemeanor animal abuse charge after police say they found several animals living on his property in deplorable conditions.
“There was an overwhelming odor of ammonium and there was a lot of animal waste,” Saline County Sheriff Cindi Mullins said.
Mullins’s office first learned of this alleged animal abuse when responding to a 911 call on the 20000 block of 115th Road.
Court documents say deputies found several dead puppies and kittens as well as a large lizard in the downstairs kitchen freezer.
On the back porch, in a chest freezer, deputies discovered over a dozen decomposing dogs.
“I don't believe that freezer was plugged in so you could imagine the odor that came off of that, and there's simply no excuse for disposing of animals in that way,” Mullins said.
The living animals were found upstairs in filthy conditions, among them a dozen dogs, a scorpion, a gecko, and three tarantulas.
“Because we don't have any facilities to keep animals, we contacted the humane society and made arrangements and took custody of the animals," Mullins said.
The Humane Society of Missouri (HSM) rescued 11 dogs from the house—three have been adopted, five are getting treated for their for medical conditions and three were euthanized.
During our reporting 41 Action News came upon the 12th dog that was living at the house. The reporter alerted authorities and she’s getting the help she needs.
The St. Louis Zoo took custody of a scorpion and two tarantulas, according to a HSM spokesperson.
The gecko is awaiting adoption and an HSM employee adopted the third tarantula.
“No one wants to see animals mistreated,” Mullins said. “If you cannot take care of your animals let us know and we’ll get some resources for someone who can so they're rescued.”
If convicted, Howell faces up to a year in jail and/or up to a $2,000 fine.
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