|
Only have a minute? Listen instead |
A 33-year-old McAllen woman was arrested Thursday after police discovered 19 animals with “feces stuck under their paws” and most with skin diseases inside her apartment, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Siclari Tovar was charged with 19 counts of animal neglect and was booked the following day.
According to the affidavit, an animal control officer was contacted by the property owner asking them to conduct a welfare check on 613 S. 12th Street Apt. 2 due to a foul odor coming from there.
The animal control officer told police that he had been knocking on the door but no one was answering, adding that he could smell a “strong” and “foul odor” and that he could hear a dog bark.
Police called the property owner who stated that he hadn’t spoken to Tovar in over two weeks and that he hadn’t received her rent payment for the month, according to the affidavit.
He added that his maintenance personnel told him that the apartment was emitting a foul odor when they were doing maintenance around the property.
As police continued to knock, they observed a gray cat by the north side window and could hear several dogs barking as well as music playing inside the apartment.
Police then saw Tovar peeking through the window and advised her to open the door, but Tovar said “she could not or she would get in trouble,” the affidavit said.
Once police told Tovar to open the door for the possibility of a dead animal or human being inside, she said she would open it.
However, officers on the rear side of the apartment advised that Tovar was trying to escape out of a window, but closed and locked it as soon as she saw them.
As police began kicking the door for exigent circumstances, Tovar opened the door only to attempt to close it again but failed.
Officers then managed to detain Tovar who gave consent to search her apartment.
“From the doorway, (police) observed feces and urine covering the entire floor of the apartment,” the affidavit said.
On the left of the living room was a dog in a cage completely covered in feces and urine, according to the affidavit.
Multiple cats were seen walking around the apartment including the kitchen cabinets, in the oven and the bedroom closet.
Animals found inside the bedroom and bathroom were also covered in excrement.
Police noticed that there wasn’t any food or water left out for the animals.
In total, there were 15 cats and four dogs inside the apartment.
“Several of the dogs appeared to have long matted fur … had visible skin infections, limped when they walked and had unkempt fingernails that made it difficult for them to walk,” the affidavit said.
Tovar remains jailed in the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on $47,500 in bonds.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
