Police confirmed the property owners, Charles E. and Barbara L. Rogers, are being investigated for animal cruelty and said they are in the process of filing charges against the couple at East Brookfield District Court. Police documents indicate each be charged with one count of cruelty to animals.
The investigation began with a report of water problems at the two-story home at 18-20 Church St., located in the Gilbertville village. The May 13 response came to include members of the public health, fire and police departments, as well as the town's animal control officer. Officials immediately condemned the home as unfit for human habitation, according to Hardwick police documents.
Documents show the bevy of town officials found "several feet of water in the basement," "a large amount of chicken feces" on the first floor, and "a large amount of cat feces in all rooms of the house, as well as an overwhelming odor of ammonia from the urine of cats."
In addition to trash and filth on floors and furniture, authorities discovered "what appeared to be a decomposing dead cat which was laying up against the side of the house," the documents state.
Officials also found a turtle that "had a cracked shell, was covered in slime and had algae growing on its shell."
The turtle has since been treated at Tuft's Animal Hospital and released to Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
A total of 28 cats were removed from the home. One died the next day.
"Ear mites and fleas were found on most of the cats, some of which were so severe the cats suffered hair loss and had scabs and wounds from scratching. Ocular and nasal discharge was listed to be an issue with most of the cats," the documents state, "due to the severity of the upper respiratory infections."
The report says town officials were told by workers at an animal shelter assisting with housing the cats that in some cases the animals had upper respiratory infections "so severe and went untreated for so long, that it spread to the eyes of the cats."
As a result, the report states, "it was likely that several of the younger cats would have to have eyes removed."
The couple purchased the property for $80,000 from Wells Fargo Bank in 2005, according to the Worcester County Register of Deeds.
Several attempts to reach Charles Rogers via telephone were unsuccessful.
The Rogers home is adjacent to a building at 22 Church St. that once housed the former "No Place" bar. That building was condemned many years ago.
(MassLive.com - May 25, 2016)
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