UPDATE Tuesday August 21: Doris Bevier Clark, 75, was arrested today on multiple charges of animal cruelty after law enforcement seized nearly 300 animals from her home early last week.
She is charged with a Class A misdemeanor punishable with up to 180 days in prison and a possible 4,000 fine. She was released from the Grimes County jail Tuesday after posting bail for a bond in the amount of $10,000.
ANDERSON, Texas—Grimes County authorities confirmed Friday a woman with a history of animal neglect and maltreatment has been investigated twice.
On Wednesday, an anonymous tip led investigators to the house off Highway 30 in Carlos.
That’s where authorities discovered nearly 300 animals living in filthy conditions.
The Grimes County Livestock Officer said it’s something he’s seen before.
“When you walk up to the gate which is a long way from the house, you could smell it,” said Livestock Officer Randy Creele.
“It was by far the worst I've ever seen,” he added.
In July of 2010, Creele investigated the same house where officials found multiple dead horses just thrown in the backyard.
Investigators said the horses that were still alive, suffered from extreme malnourishment, and some were crippled.
“Most of them were just skin and bones,” said Creele.
County officials called the SPCA to help saying they didn’t have the facilities to take in all the horses.
Creele said the SPCA officials were trying to avoid a seizure warrant because it would delay getting the horses off the property and into medical care.
“So, he (SPCA) cut a deal with her and agreed that there wouldn’t be any charges filed,” said Creele. “She’d just turn over the horses and he let her keep, I want to say, 40 horses and some dogs,” he added.
Official’s reports say that the SPCA left that day with 105 horses and 40 assorted dogs.
Creele went by the property multiple times after that, and he said the remainder of the animals were being cared for.
“I’d go out there in the mornings, and she’d be out back, cleaning the kennels. I thought ‘You know this lady turned around,’” said Creele.
But, that didn’t last too long. On Tuesday, authorities discovered 242 dogs and 49 horses, all in horrible condition.
And on Wednesday, the woman surrendered every single one of them to the Houston Humane Society.
Monica Schmidt from the Houston Humane Society said most of the dogs have parasites, eye infections, and were extremely malnourished—all signs of long term neglect.
Schmidt said the horses were “just skin and bones.”
Grimes County authorities have not released the woman’s name because she hasn’t been arrested, or officially charged.
Authorities said the investigation could last up to a week. They are waiting for each of the 242 dogs and 49 horses to have a medical evaluation before they can take the case to the District Attorney.
“You want to do the best job for everyone involved and you want to present the best thorough case you can to the prosecutor’s office,” said Investigator Kindale Pittman.
“Because when you have your day in court, you want to prove that case beyond a reasonable doubt and you want to have sufficient evidence to support those charges,” he added.
The animals will remain at the Houston Humane Society indefinitely. They are working to monitor their medical needs and said all updates will be posted on their website and Facebook page.