Linda West and her daughter, Carol West, are charged with 29 crimes each including two counts of child neglect, six counts of mistreatment of animals resulting in death and multiple counts of intentionally mistreating animals.
The La Crosse County Sheriff's Department was called Oct. 12 to a complaint of a horse belonging to Linda West that was causing damage to a neighbor's yard.
A deputy went to West's home and encountered a strong smell of feces and urine when Linda West opened the door. Garbage was strewn throughout the yard and piled in the entrance of the home, the deputy said.
Deputies and the Coulee Region Humane Society searched the home with a warrant and Child Protective Services also investigated the welfare of the two children in the home.
Investigators found rat feces on the floors and small pathways throughout the house due to piled up debris.
Animal control officers said they found three dogs in plastic containers, two of them were very emaciated and the carriers were full of feces and no water to drink. The third dog had matted fur and appeared frightened, officers said. Five more dogs were found on the property.
There were 44 rats in multiple cages throughout the house and 32 dead rats in the freezer, authorities said.
Sixteen horses were also found in corrals filled with mud and feces with moldy hay and no water available, according to investigators.
In all, a total of 44 rats, eight dogs, one cat and 16 horses were seized and evaluated by veterinarians.
The Wests' preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Jan. 24th.
(News8000 - Jan 19, 2017)
