The Elbert County department of health issued a condemnation
order on the house at 41772 Madrid Drive, where more than 70
animals were seized Oct. 7. Commissioners approved the condemnation
Oct. 13, after hearing input from the department of health, the
Elbert County building department and the Elbert County code
enforcement office.
“We have formulated a cease and desist order because of large
quantities of feces and garbage inside the house,” said Mary Sue
Liss, with the county health department. “This house is unfit for
human habitation.”
Ingrid Betts, director of the Elbert County Public Health
Department, said the board of health is entitled to examine
suspected sources of filth causing sickness and disease. Her
description of the home outlined the reasons the department ordered
the house condemned.
Animal feces completely covered the floor of the house, and
there was no way to walk around the filth, Betts said. The
accumulation of dirt and garbage on the counter tops prevents
preparation of a sanitary meal, and the refrigerator was filled
with decaying and rotting food. The bathrooms were blocked by feces
and inaccessible, she said.
“It is unsafe for anyone to be there,” said Betts. “Biting
insects were everywhere and bit us while we were there, and we were
wearing protective clothing. There is an overwhelming foul smell
and doubtless bacteria and mold. I recommend anyone entering wear
protective clothing.”
The county is required to provide the homeowner with an
opportunity for abatement before taking further action. To be able
to live in the house again, owner Pamela Bradford, 45, must first
remove all garbage and feces from the residence, provide an
independent structural engineer study and provide an independent
environmental air quality test with confirmed acceptable
results.
Bradford has 60 days to perform abatement, or else a demolition
order could be executed, Liss said.
The building department is concerned about the structural safety
of the house, given the buildup of urine and ammonia, said
department head Billy Tanner.
“We’re concerned about moisture in the sub-structure from urine
and feces,” Tanner said. “The high content of ammonia in there
doesn’t make it at all habitable. We don’t know what damage it has
caused.”
Bradford was charged by Elbert County with cruelty to animals
and issued a citation and penalty from the Department of
Agriculture.
The Department of Agriculture noted she claimed to have two dogs
and one cat in her possession. Animal control officers found 35
dogs in her possession, all in poor condition.
Bradford did not contest the charges from the state and agreed
to pay a $250 fine.
The dogs and cats found at the property were handed over to the
Denver Dumb Friends League, and the remaining animals are under the
county’s care at the Elbert County Fairgrounds.
Cash and credit card donations to help care for the animals are
being accepted at Elizabeth Feed, 303-646-4422, and Kiowa Feed,
303-621-2466.
Contact Rhonda Moore at rmoore@ccnewspapers.net.