54 animals rescued from feces-covered home in Highlands County; mother and son charged

SEBRING, Fla. (WFLA) – A mother and her son were arrested Tuesday after deputies went to their Highlands County home to initiate the eviction process and said they found conditions inside that could only be described as “deplorable.” .

According to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a single-wide mobile home on Broadland Lane in Kissimmee River Estates around 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 19th.

An orphaned baby manatee was rescued on Merritt Island in the northwestern part of West Rhine.

Once they got inside, authorities said they found more than 50 animals — 46 dogs and eight cats — locked in crates and roaming around a mobile home covered in feces, cobwebs and trash.

“The entire floor of the house was covered in animal feces, and there were many drawers that also had several inches of feces on the bottom, stacked on top of each other,” the sheriff’s office said. “The crates in which both dogs and cats were kept were covered with fabric, which prevented the free flow of air.”

While some of the boxes contained bowls of water, officials said none of them were filled with water. Instead, some of the bowls contained urine. Deputies said they later learned that the animals kept in the enclosures were never released.

Many of the dogs had fleas and some had noticeable hair loss, the sheriff’s office said. People with long hair have been observed to have feces stuck to their bodies.

As officers continued to walk through the home, body camera footage showed cockroaches crawling in and out of cages. The entire house was infested with pests and rats, officials said.

Deputies were told the occupants, Darlene Hutchinson, 66, and her son, Arthur Melvin Doliver, 36, had lived in the home for six years and started out with two dogs and one cat.

Hutchinson and Doliver were arrested the same day and charged with 56 counts of cruelty to animals.

“This treatment of even one animal is inexcusable, but to have over 50 animals living in these conditions is absolutely staggering,” Sheriff Paul Blackman said. “There is no reason that could justify keeping animals in this situation.”

Highlands County Sheriff’s Animal Services officers spent several hours rescuing all of the animals from the home. Because the animal service facility was under construction, all animals were taken to the Humane Society of Highlands County.

The animals were scheduled to be examined by a veterinarian Wednesday morning.

“I want to thank Judy Spiegel and the rest of the staff at the Humane Society for coming out last night and helping us get these animals the immediate help they needed,” Blackman said. “We know they are now in good hands and their lives will only get better.”

In a post on social media, the Humane Society said it will soon be looking to foster homes for the animals, as well as donate items such as medicated shampoo, treats and blankets to ensure they receive the care they need.

Anyone wanting to help the Humane Society can call 863-655-1522.

For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video, head to WFLA.