Navarre resident Carolyn Fowler is facing charges of animal cruelty after a search warrant revealed several animals living in “deplorable living conditions,” according to a press release from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office.
On Thursday, deputies and officers with the Santa Rosa County Animal Control Services responded to an animal cruelty complaint at a mobile home on Lucena Street. No one was home at the time, however deputies and animal control returned the following day with a search warrant signed by a judge, the press release said.
Upon entering the residence on Friday night, deputies and animal control officers found a total of nine cats, a bird and fish inside the residence.
“They appeared to be in distress and were frail. Some of the cats were described as having open wounds,” the press release said.
In Fowler’s arrest report, each cat also appeared to be “infested with fleas, very thin, frail and malnourished.”
There was no signs of food or water inside the residence, the press release said. A deceased hamster was found inside a cage also with no food or water.
The arrest report also states animal feces covered most surfaces inside the mobile home “and a large amount of trash made it difficult to find the animals.”
While assisting animal control in recovering the sick animals, two deputies had to be decontaminated after being “covered in fleas” while exiting the residence, the press release said. The arrest report states the deputies became infested after being inside the residence for just five minutes.
The animals were taken by animal control for treatment.
While the warrant was being issued for Fowler, the residence’s owner, the suspect arrived on scene and was taken into custody.
In the arrest report, Fowler told deputies she was staying with a friend in Cantonment since February, however she had been caring for the animals in the mobile home. At the scene, Fowler also denied the animals were being neglected and she had visited the residence three days prior.
Fowler was placed under arrest for animal cruelty charges with a $1,000 bond. Since then Fowler has been released after posting the bond amount.
Fowler could be facing additional charges, the report said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Navarre woman faces animal cruelty charges