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Thursday, September 09, 2010
Police Find Home Filled With Animals
By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
The conditions in an animal hoarding case at an Estancia home seem unimaginable.
"It was the most filthy thing I'd ever seen in my life," said State Police Sgt. Andy Baldridge.
Conducting a mental health check for Veterans Affairs at the residence of Raymond Karbel, 63, on Sept. 1, police entered a home filled with standing animal waste and sewage running on the floor.
The ammonia smell was so powerful, Baldridge said, that officers had to wear respirators to protect themselves.
"As overpowering as it was, I'm not sure how anyone could live there," he said.
The home was filled with animals. Deputies found 25 dogs, from puppies to a few years old.
Many of them were sick, but a few seemed to be relatively healthy, he said.
Although the animals had food, it appeared that only the larger, stronger dogs were able to eat because the smaller dogs looked malnourished, he said.
There were more than 30 cats living in holes torn in the sheet rock and in the ceiling, a dozen or so chickens, two geese and a turkey.
Many of the cats that could be trapped or caught had a viral respiratory disease and had to be euthanized, he said.
Many of the cats hadn't been caught as of Sept. 2, Baldridge said, because they are basically feral cats living off the rodents they catch.
Many of the dogs had canine parvovirus, he said.
Most of the animals were taken from the premises and traps have been set to catch the cats. Many of the animals were taken to the Estancia Valley Regional Animal Shelter, he said.
Cindi Jones, the shelter's manager, would not comment on what had become of the animals because those details are part of an ongoing investigation.
Karbel was arrested by Torrance County sheriff's deputies on May 29 on suspicion of extreme animal cruelty. Charges were dismissed in late June, however.
According to Baldridge, Karbel was being treated at a veterans hospital in Albuquerque as of Sept. 2.
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