Police serving a search warrant for child porn say they found 24 neglected dogs, and 8 more dead in the freezer.
(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem Police detectives responded to 4345 Vernon Loop NE in Salem today shortly before 1:00 PM, to serve a search warrant involving a child pornography investigation.
Salem Police photo of the homeSalem Police Lt. Jim Anglemier says that immediately upon entering the residence, the detectives found what they described as unfit living conditions. At that point he says, additional detectives from the Drug Activity Response Team and Street Crimes Unit responded to assist with the investigation.
The residents of the home were identified as Kevin and Sarah Deal, their two children, ages 15 and 16, and two other juveniles, ages 9 &and 17.
Inside the residence Anglemier says, 24 Poodles were found running loose or in cages.
"Some of the dogs were near death. There was no water or food out for the dogs. Throughout the residence,dog feces was found caked on the floor, beds,furnishings and clothing items. In the kitchen, there was no clean area for food preparation."
He added, "The feces odor was so strong, the some of the Detectives needed to wear breathing respirators while inside the residence. The residence had no garbage service."
In the freezer, among frozen food items, police foune eight deceased poodle puppies in plastic bags. Detectives were told that the deceased puppies were placed there until one of the older children could bury them in the backyard.
The Humane Society and Marion County Dog Control were the next agencies to respond, they had to deal with the sick and dead dogs.
Police say the home was declared unfitAnglemier says the Marion County Health Department, along with the Marion County Code Enforcement staff posted the residence as "Unfit for Human Habitation" due to the condition of the residence.
The parents, 45-year old Kevin Lee Deal and 40-year old Sarah Marie Deal, were contacted and taken into custody. The four children were taken into protective custody and released to staff of the Department of Human Services.
The child pornography investigation is continuing.
Late this afternoon, Kevin & Sarah Deal were booked into the Marion County Jail. They were both charged with four counts of first-degree Criminal Mistreatment, eight counts of first-degree Animal Neglect, and 24 counts of second-degree Animal Neglect. Their bail was set at $140,000 each for the various charges.
Editor's note: we listed the ages of this couple incorrectly, stating they were 30-years old, working from the original information sent to us by the Salem Police. We apologize for the error and the story has been corrected
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Child Porn Investigation Leads to Arrests Over Animal AbuseSalem-News.com