"Because this is a no kill facility, each animal will receive the care s/he needs until the end of his life.
"The animals come to us from abuse and abandonment situations. We also get calls from local animal control agencies not knowing what to do or who to call about intake potbelly pigs, many with behavior issues, and ask us if we can take them so they don't have to be killed. We do our best to accommodate those because their lives are in immediate danger."
But deputies say PETA's testimony and videos described hogs on the property suffering from tumors, hair loss, overgrown hooves, open sores, and ambulatory issues. There were also dogs, cats, and a steer suffering from neglect.
When are these shelters and animal control agencies going to be held responsible for blindly handing over animals to these types of people without verifying that they're properly caring for the animals already in their care? And the IRS needs to get involved and find out where all the money went.
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| GoFundMe account raised $1,000+ tax-free |
Spunky was emaciated, covered with sores, and unable to use his back legs. He was left languishing like that for months on end. When the largest of several lesions on his back grew to the size of an orange and became abscessed, Czerner and Martin spent an hour cutting into it and squeezing pus and blood out of it without any anesthetics, while he screamed and struggled to escape.
In the weeks that followed, Czerner squeezed the abscess again and again, tearing large swaths of skin off Spunky’s back and admitting as he screamed that “of course” it caused him pain.
Spunky spent several days penned up with Buddy, a listless, emaciated pig Czerner said she would take to the vet in early June. But time passed, and she didn’t do it. Buddy was left lying on his side—just standing up was a struggle for him.
According to Martin, after suffering for “over two weeks,” Buddy was found dead. Spunky was by Buddy’s side on the last day of his miserable life.
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| Spunky with Buddy as he died |
Starved Pigs Deprived of Basic Care
Martin routinely denied pigs feed for up to five days (even though it took just 30 minutes or so to feed them) and rejected numerous offers to help feed the animals. When they were finally fed, some got scraps of produce—much of it rotten—or bread that was often moldy. But they were denied hay and only rarely given pellet feed.
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| Teeth/tusks which were growing into the pigs' faces |
When food was provided, smaller, less assertive pigs couldn’t access it, as larger pigs dominated the few troughs available. The vertebrae, hips, and other bones protruded prominently under the skin of numerous emaciated pigs.
Even though some pigs’ hooves curled up and others’ tusks rubbed against their faces because they were so overgrown, no hoof or dental care—which are important to pigs’ health—was provided during PETA’s investigation.
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| Painful and crippling overgrown hooves |
With such a nutritionally deficient diet and lack of basic care, they didn’t stand a chance.
Desperately Thirsty Chickens and Dogs, and Dying Cats
As heat indices topped 100 degrees in the Florida summer, Isis, the couple’s emaciated steer, was repeatedly found without water. He often had little to eat besides a few wisps of hay on the ground, despite requests by a PETA eyewitness to give him more food.
Approximately 40 hens and roosters were found without water again and again. When water was provided by a PETA eyewitness, the chickens routinely drank for nearly 10 minutes.
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| Filthy water with dead frogs floating in it |
After a lethargic and unresponsive cat named Princess convulsed and died, Czerner admitted that she had so many animals, she was simply unable to care for them all. (She also kept several pigs in her bathroom and in a crate in her house.) She even admitted that she feared being jailed for neglect.
Criminal Prosecution
Based on PETA’s evidence of systemic neglect and unnecessary suffering at the facility, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) executed a warrant on August 4, 2016, and seized nearly 200 animals, rescuing them from utter misery.
Darlynn Czemer didn’t say anything to reporters as she was being brought into the Polk County jail, but her partner, Clinton “Butch” Martin, said the couple was doing the best it could with the animals but admitted they were not fed every day.
"Well, it actually got to the point where it wasn't every day,” he said. “But it was a good part of the week. But when they did get fed, it was a good portion of food."
Sheriff Grady Judd said Darlynn’s Darlins may have started off as an animal rescue but didn’t turn out that way.
"It turned into a hoarding situation. They apparently weren't letting any of the animals go,” Judd said.
Judd said it wasn’t clear why some of the animals were not being properly fed, because there was plenty of food at the facility.
"They are locked up in the jail,” Judd said. “That's where they need to be."
On August 9, 2016, officials charged DDRR operators Darlynn Czerner and Clinton Martin with a total of 282 counts of cruelty to animals, including six felonies.
The following are excerpts from the affidavit:
There were 23 hogs that were found to be a body score of a 1-1.5, fifteen were found to be a body score of 2-2.5, and 26 were found to be a body score of 3-3.5 [the body scores indicate animals were from very thin/skeletal frame to underweight]
Three hogs were found to have overgrown hooves that were causing the hogs to have issues walking.
One hog was found to have a broken leg that had healed in an unnatural position.
25 hogs were found to have severe skin conditions to include hair loose and severe sunburn.
11 hogs were found to have tusks that were growing into the side of the hogs’ faces or causing them to have difficulty eating.
Two of the hogs found in the house were very obese, barely able to walk, and were found to be blind.
Located inside the residence were 8 hogs, 7 cats, 1 dog, and 1 rabbit. The hogs located inside the house did not have access to water or feed being confined within the walls of the residence.
Four dogs that were located without food or water were confined inside kennels where they could not leave to obtain food or water.
Two of the hogs found in the house were very obese, barely able to walk, and were found to be blind.
Two hogs were located in the front yard of the residence. One hog was found to be over 50% non-ambulatory and had a severe infection to its back. Dr. DeGroat who responded to the scene recommended the hog be euthanized due to its severe condition. The hog was transported to the Sheriff’s Office Animal Control section and euthanized by Dr. DeGroat.
A small pot-bellied pig was found to be in distress and unable to walk. Dr. DeGroat examined the hog and determined it needed to be euthanized. The hog was euthanized at the Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Section.
Two of the cats were found to have an upper respiratory infection upon examination
Six barrels of vegetable scraps were found in the bed of a black Nissan truck parked beside the residence. The barrels were full and were gathering flies.
Located in a small barn near the center of the property were 20 unopened bags of hog feed.
In a pen area between the hogs was a Charolais / Long Horn cross steer. The steer did not have any hay, feed, or grass in the pen to eat.
During the investigation it was determined a large hog named “Buddy” laid on the ground for 14 days in respiratory distress. The hog was non-ambulatory and did not drink or eat for most of the time period. Witnesses observed the hog in that condition, photographed and videotaped the incident. The hog along with the hog located in the front yard suffered a cruel death that could have been avoided by the suspects. Witnesses observed the hog first on 06/01/2016, observed it for 14 days, and then observed it died on 06/14/2016. Witnesses assisted in burying the hog on 06/14/2016.
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| Another GoFundMe from 2013 raised nearly $6,000 tax-free. |
Full Name: Darlynn Serene Czerner
Address: 9830 Evans Rd, Polk City, FL
Gender: Female
Birthdate: 09/16/1950
Height: 5'05"
Weight: 150 lbs
Arrest Age: 65
Date of arrest: 08/09/2016
Arresting agency: Polk County FL
Total Bond: $72,000
Charges:
- 141 COUNTS OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ($500 BOND PER CHARGE = $72,000)
Full Name: Clinton Drew Martin
Aliases: Clinton "Butch" Martin, Butch Martin
Address: 9830 Evans Rd, Polk City, FL
Gender: Male
Birthdate: 10/22/1954
Height: 6'02"
Weight: 200 lbs
Arrest Age: 61
Date of arrest: 08/09/2016
Arresting agency: Polk County FL
Total Bond: $72,000
Charges:
- 141 COUNTS OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ($500 BOND PER CHARGE = $72,000)
2012 ARREST:
Full Name: Clinton Drew Martin
Aliases: Clinton "Butch" Martin, Butch Martin
Gender: Male
Birthdate: 10/22/1954
Height: 6'02"
Weight: 235 lbs
Arrest Age:57
Current Age: 61
Date of arrest: 02/01/2012
Arresting Agency: POLK COUNTY SHERIFF
Charge:
- BATTERY-TOUCH OR STRIKE. STATUTE: 784.03(1A1). NOTES: BATTERY-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
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