Hoarding - 19 dogs seized La Follette, TN (US) Incident Date: Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 County: Campbell Local Map: available Disposition: Alleged Case Images: 1 files available Alleged: Robert Sheets

Case ID: 4942 Classification: Hoarding Animal: dog (non pit-bull) View more cases in TN (US) Login to Watch this Case

Campbell County Deputies found a man and 19 dogs ankle deep in filth inside a home with no water or electricity. The homeowner, Robert Sheets, faces 19 animal cruelty counts. Each penalty carries a year in jail if convicted.

The dogs are at the Campbell County Animal Shelter. A veterinarian will examine the animals on June 29 to see what the next course of action is for the dogs.

"It was absolutely horrible," said Deputy Brandon Elkins. "The smell was wretched. I had to leave the building to avoid throwing up."

Investigators say they found waste, ankle deep in some places, throughout the house, which also had no electricity or running water.

A neighbor said Sheets was friendly for the most part, taking in more dogs from shelters to prevent them from being put to sleep, a point Sheets himself mentioned when being taken into custody.

"I didn't hurt nobody," said Sheets. "I was saving their lives."

"I saw dogs with open sores oozing," the neighbor said, adding that she had even seen dead animals on or near his property.

Neighborhood Map

For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.

Back to Top

Add this case to:

Del.icio.us

|

Digg

|

Furl

|

References

	WBIR - June 29, 2005
	WVLT

« TN State Animal Cruelty Map

Not sure what these icons mean? Click here.

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.