36 Animals Saved From Feces-Covered Polk Co. Home; Woman Charged: PCSO

POLK COUNTY — A 57-year-old woman is facing several charges after authorities said they found 35 cats and a dog living in a Pope Lane home with feces present and the strong scent of ammonia Thursday.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said Friday they were conducting a well-fare check at the home, near Bethlehem Road.

When deputies arrived at the home, they encountered the strong odor of ammonia around and inside of the house. They then saw feces throughout the inside of the house that sheltered the cats and dog.

The sheriff's office's Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit was then activated, and detectives saw the feces-covered floor and deemed the air quality poor, authorities said. Trash piles were found throughout the home, and several cats were seemingly underweight, authorities said.

Authorities found the dog in a bedroom in the home, they said.

Polk County Fire Rescue arrived on scene and recorded an ammonia reading of 15 ppm inside of the home, authorities said.

"(Zero) ppm is normal breathing air. The air inside the residence was not fit for humans or animals to be breathing or living in for any extended period of time," authorities said in a news release.

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Aside from feces, roaches were also located in each room while litter boxes were absent, authorities said. The air conditioning was not functional, preventing the circulation of sufficient air supply, authorities said.

Authorities arrested Sharon Cochran, who was caring for an 82-year-old woman with limited mobility, and charged her on suspicion of 36 counts of animal neglect and one count of neglect of an elderly person.

“This is the second case in a week where we have found a woman who, thinking she is helping, ended up hoarding animals," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in the release. "The victim is now in the care of other family members, and the animals are being examined by our Animal Control veterinary staff. It is our hope they will be rehabilitated and able to be adopted out to loving homes.”