December 14, 2011
FIVE FAMILY MEMBERS CHARGED WITH ENDANGERING TWO CHILDREN IN URINE AND FECES-INFESTED HOUSE WITH 110 CATS
Orange County District Attorney's Office
SANTA ANA - A family of five adults has been charged with exposing two children to severely unsanitary conditions by living in a urine and feces-filled home with 110 cats. The five defendants are Sharon Lynn Howe, 65; her husband John Ed Howe, 68; her daughter Kerri Lynn Howe Moreno, 44; Kerri Moreno's husband Jessy Moreno, 41; and Kerri Moreno's daughter Courtney Lynn Howe Perez, 23.
All five are charged with two felony counts each of child endangerment. Sharon Howe and Courtney Perez are charged with an additional felony count of animal cruelty and face a sentence ranging from probation up to eight years in state prison if convicted. John Howe, Kerri Moreno, and Jessy Moreno face a sentence ranging from probation up to seven years and four months in state prison if convicted. They are expected to be arraigned Jan. 18, 2012, at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. The time and Department are to be determined.
Overview of the Case
Sharon Howe and her granddaughter Courtney Perez are accused of using their Santa Ana home to house unwanted cats. They are accused of obtaining many these cats from animal shelters under the pretense of operating a rescue organization to find the animals other permanent homes. The two defendants lived in the home with the other three adult defendants and two little girls, ages 6 and 12 years old.
All five defendants are accused of failing to protect and endangering the two children by having them to live in a severely unsanitary and unsafe environment. Sharon Howe and Courtney Perez are accused of also abusing the cats in their home by keeping them in an unsanitary environment and failing to provide food, water, and proper medical care.
Investigation of the Case
In February 2011, Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) Animal Services Officers responded to the defendants' home after receiving complaints from neighbors about the foul animal odor emanating from the residence. The responding officers arrived and observed from outside the home an intense odor of urine and feces and live and dead flies congregating around the windows and doors.
Inside the home, the five defendants are accused of allowing two child victims to live in extremely unsanitary, filthy conditions. The Animal Services Officers entered the home wearing paper masks, but had to leave after only a few minutes due to feeling ill as a result of the overwhelming smell. They returned wearing full hazmat gear including body suits and respirators.
The defendants are accused of keeping a grossly unhygienic home with feces and urine all over the floors and other surfaces, as well as cat hair, roaches, and flies. Severe ammonia exposure, which can be caused due to exposure to urine, can cause health problems for humans including respiratory illness, eye irritation, headaches, burns, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
The defendants are accused of having one of the child victims sleep in the living room on a couch, surrounded by cats and constantly exposed to the smell of feces and urine. They are accused of having the other child victim sleep in a bedroom under the same conditions. At least one of the victims was found to have scratches from the cats on her arms and legs. Two of the defendants were found to have cat feces caked on their feet from walking barefoot in the home when officers were admitted into the house.
Child Protective Services was contacted, but were not admitted into the home due to the health and safety risks. The children were not in the home at the time that police entered and the defendants were advised that the victims would not be allowed to re-enter the home and would be taken into protective custody if other accommodations could not be provided. Kerri and Jessy Moreno found alternative housing in February 2011 for the two young girls.
Over the course of multiple hours, the officers captured 110 cats inside of the home, many of them feral. Each cat was taken in a separate carrier for examination and medical treatment. More than 20 of the cats had to be euthanized and all of the surviving cats had severe flea infestations. Half of the cats suffered serious upper respiratory infections, 25 percent had ear mites, and 25 percent had fecal and urinary contamination of their coats. Defendants Sharon Howe and Courtney Perez are accused of failing to provide any veterinary treatment for these animals while in their care.
The total veterinary cost to treat the 110 cats was over $10,000. All of the surviving cats have been adopted by families or rescue organizations. None of the defendants currently live in the home.
SAPD investigated this case. Senior Deputy District Attorney Aleta Bryant of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting this case.
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