CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) – Four people face more than 100 total charges in what is believed to be one of the worst cases of animal cruelty in Clermont County, court records show.
Authorities found nearly four dozen dogs and several ferrets “feces-covered and urine-stained” in one room of a house on Campbell Lane in Bethel, according to criminal complaints and affidavits filed in the case.
Clermont County Chief Dog Warden Tim Pappas signed misdemeanor charges May 21 on Terri Sprague, Vicki Miller, Anthony Miller and Christopher T. Davis.
He alleges in court records that the crimes happened at a Bethel home on Campbell Lane on May 5.
Thirty-four dogs of various sizes and ages were found in one room of the house, along with seven ferrets in a cage, according to the criminal complaints.
“The dogs and ferrets were feces-covered and urine-stained, with all dogs having urine burns on the pads of their feet. Feces inches deep covered the floor of this room and of the entire house, along with being urine-soaked,” Pappas wrote in the court filings.
“No area of relief for the dogs or ferrets to escape from standing/lying in the feces and urine was available. The ammonia level due to the urine was eye-watering and made it difficult to breathe. Garbage, rotting food w/bugs and clothing were stacked close to the ceiling in most areas of the house.”
Four additional dogs were located in another room of the house occupied by Anthony Miller and Vicki Miller, court records show.
“The condition of the room was the same as the rest of the house,” the dog warden wrote in the court filing.
“Three dogs were running freely, and a fourth was confined in a small cage. No clean/wholesome food or clean water was found available for any of the animals anywhere in the house.”
FOX19 NOW attempted to reach people inside the home for comment Thursday, but so far no one there has been receptive.
We also reached out to the county dog shelter where the dog wardens work and the county prosecutor’s office, in addition to requesting several public records.
“We are planning to send out a news release about the case as soon as possible today. Will get back to you with it,” a county spokeswoman wrote in an email to FOX19 NOW.
The four suspects were all served with warrants and cited to appear in Clermont County Municipal Court.
Sprague alone faces more than 40 charges, including a charge of confinement or restraint of a dog she already pleaded no contest to on May 21, according to the court docket. She is being fined $200.
She already pleaded guilty once to that offense in 2012 and paid a $110 fine at that time, according to the court docket.
Sprague and Vicki Miller were served earlier this month and pleaded not guilty to all the other charges at bond hearings Wednesday, court filings show.
Their bonds were set at $25,000.
Both are prohibited from having and/or owning animals while the case is ongoing.
Their cases return to court next month.
If they do not change their pleas, their cases will be set for trial, according to the court docket.
Davis and Anthony Miller are scheduled to make their initial court appearances on June 4.
The case began earlier this month when Deputy Dog Warden Sarah Steele “came into possession of a dog whose fur was urine-stained and heavily matted that was picked up as a stray by a private citizen,” the chief dog warden wrote in Miller’s criminal complaint.
The citizen posted the dog on social media, attempting to locate the owner.
Davis identified himself as the owner, court records show.
When Steele contacted him on the phone, he said he lived with his mother, Sprague, on Campbell Lane, along with about 15 other dogs.
Davis requested that his dog be taken to his mother, Pappas wrote in an affidavit.
When Steele arrived at the home on Campbell Lane, she “immediately noticed Ms. Sprague to have feces on her clothing and reeked of urine,” the court filing states.
Sprague told the deputy she “had 11 other dogs in the house.”
The dog wardens got a search warrant and returned to the home at 3:20 p.m. on May 5.
Sprague was in the home, and both Anthony Miller and Vicki Miller were in the driveway.
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