Judge orders release of horrific puppy mill video
GOLD BAR, Wash. -- The video isn't easy to watch: dogs living in their own waste, trapped in small cages without food or water.
Investigators called it a multi-million dollar puppy mill in this Snohomish County town. There were 155 dogs that had been allegedly mistreated and living in horrific conditions -- all in the same house.
Thursday, the police video shot during the big raid on Jan. 16 was ordered released as the result of a court case brought by KOMO News.
The homeowners, Serenna Lynn Larsen and Jason Dean Larsen, have each been charged in Snohomish County Superior Court with six counts of first-degree animal cruelty.
They fought to keep the video from being released, saying it would prevent them from getting a fair trial and they had already received one death threat and were worried the video would stir emotions again. But a judge ruled the tape is public record and the public had a right to see the video and know the whole story.
In charging documents, prosecutors wrote that investigators found fecal matter "throughout every room of the home," in the 43000 block of May Creek Road and one deputy described it as "noxious, overwhelming, and utterly disgusting."
Court documents detailed the deplorable conditions:
Officers found crates of dogs stacked on top of each other, with garbage and excrement piled up to five feet high in some areas. Parts of the kitchen and living room ceiling were collapsing after being soaked with animal urine, prosecutors said.
A veterinarian who examined the dogs said all were infested with fleas and parasites, and suffering from dehydration and lack of food. Many of the dogs had severe injuries or infections, including skin lesions and ruptured eyes.
Most of the animals were living in their own waste, trapped in small cages without food or water.
"By neglecting to treat these conditions, the animals were allowed to suffer in pain," the veterinarian wrote.
In a freezer in the home, police found four dead puppies. In charging documents, a veterinarian one of the dogs appears to have been alive when it was placed in the freezer.
Investigators also found a high-frequency device that had been installed to keep the dogs from barking.
Of the more than 150 dogs found alive on the property, seven were in such poor condition that they had to be euthanized.
In interviews with investigators, Jason and his wife said they been breeding dogs since 2007 and admitted that they "were in way over our head," according to court documents. The Larsens told detectives they had started by breeding 28 dogs.
Jason told police they were breeding the dogs for another person who paid them.
Sixty five of the dogs seized from the Larsens were adopted at a mass adoption fair hosted by the Everett Animal Shelter. The rest remain in foster care.
Investigators called it a multi-million dollar puppy mill in this Snohomish County town. There were 155 dogs that had been allegedly mistreated and living in horrific conditions -- all in the same house.
Thursday, the police video shot during the big raid on Jan. 16 was ordered released as the result of a court case brought by KOMO News.
The homeowners, Serenna Lynn Larsen and Jason Dean Larsen, have each been charged in Snohomish County Superior Court with six counts of first-degree animal cruelty.
They fought to keep the video from being released, saying it would prevent them from getting a fair trial and they had already received one death threat and were worried the video would stir emotions again. But a judge ruled the tape is public record and the public had a right to see the video and know the whole story.
In charging documents, prosecutors wrote that investigators found fecal matter "throughout every room of the home," in the 43000 block of May Creek Road and one deputy described it as "noxious, overwhelming, and utterly disgusting."
Court documents detailed the deplorable conditions:
Officers found crates of dogs stacked on top of each other, with garbage and excrement piled up to five feet high in some areas. Parts of the kitchen and living room ceiling were collapsing after being soaked with animal urine, prosecutors said.
A veterinarian who examined the dogs said all were infested with fleas and parasites, and suffering from dehydration and lack of food. Many of the dogs had severe injuries or infections, including skin lesions and ruptured eyes.
Most of the animals were living in their own waste, trapped in small cages without food or water.
"By neglecting to treat these conditions, the animals were allowed to suffer in pain," the veterinarian wrote.
In a freezer in the home, police found four dead puppies. In charging documents, a veterinarian one of the dogs appears to have been alive when it was placed in the freezer.
Investigators also found a high-frequency device that had been installed to keep the dogs from barking.
Of the more than 150 dogs found alive on the property, seven were in such poor condition that they had to be euthanized.
In interviews with investigators, Jason and his wife said they been breeding dogs since 2007 and admitted that they "were in way over our head," according to court documents. The Larsens told detectives they had started by breeding 28 dogs.
Jason told police they were breeding the dogs for another person who paid them.
Sixty five of the dogs seized from the Larsens were adopted at a mass adoption fair hosted by the Everett Animal Shelter. The rest remain in foster care.