14 Dogs Rescued From Home Declared A Health Hazard

NORCROSS, GA — Fourteen dogs were rescued by police recently from a Norcross home covered in urine and feces. Police discovered the conditions while serving a warrant for a different crime. The couple living in the home has been arrested and the Gwinnett County Health Department has declared the home a health hazard.

Kathleen Price and her husband, John, were both arrested and charged with cruelty to animals.

Police discovered the condition of the home when officers were serving a warrant on Kathleen Price for allegedly exploiting an elderly person for $500,000, according to Sgt. Jake Smith. Since January, Smith said, Price convinced her neighbor, a 71-year-old woman, to withdraw money from her bank in smaller chunks between $1,000 and $10,000. Smith said one withdrawal was for a wooden fence, which cost the neighbor $100,000.

Smith noted that a fence is normally cheaper than that and she could have built a whole house or a brick wall for that price. He said the victim lives on the same street as the Prices and does not have dementia or Alzheimer's.

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A detective was able to get a warrant for Kathleen Price’s arrest May 31. After seeing the Price home while serving the warrant, the officer found “deplorable” conditions.

The ammonia smell from the dog waste was so extreme that Smith said it was unsafe for humans or animals.

Kathleen Price has also been charged with exploiting an elderly person. John Price was released on $1,300 bond. Kathleen Price was being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Detention Center.

Photos courtesy Gwinnett County Police Department