An 18-month-old boy was found living in an animal cage in a trailer home in Tennessee where officials also removed 622 animals - including a 10-foot boa constrictor - in a rescue operation dubbed “Operation Caged Hell.”
Animal Rescue Corps of Tennessee posted on Facebook that it had “assisted the Henry County Sheriff’s Department with the removal of 622 animals living in horrendous conditions on a property in Buchanan, TN; where a toddler was also found living in a cage.
In the room where the child was found, there were also large snakes, some of which were ten feet long; as well as mice, rats, and other small animals.
The property owner and two others living in the trailer were arrested and taken to the Henry County Jail.
They have been charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated cruelty to animals, cruelty to animals, manufacturing of marijuana, as well as other charges related to weapons found on the property. Additional charges are pending, and all three individuals are being held with a $300,000 bond each.
On Saturday, the owner of the animals agreed to surrender 100% of the animals seized on this property. Animal Rescue Corps dubbed this rescue Operation Caged Hell.”
According to WKRN.com, the people arrested were Heather Scarbough, 42; T.J. Brown, 46, and Charles Brown, 82.
WKRN reported that the sheriff’s department had responded to the property on Thursday of last week after receiving a tip about possible animal cruelty. Deputies found the child in the animal cage inside.
They also found “a ten-foot boa constrictor and seven other snakes inside the room with the child, including two snakes that were right above the child’s head” along with buckets that contained several hundred mice.
Law enforcement told WKRN that “there were also 15 to 20 dogs running loose inside, as well as thousands of cockroaches and maggots” and the floor of the home “was covered in feces.”
Seized from the property were chickens, dogs, cats, rabbits, parakeets, snakes, a pheasant, mice, rats, hamsters, a gecko and three sugar gliders along with 127 marijuana plants and 17 guns, including one AR-15.
The rescue group is seeking donations to help care the animals, many of which have severe health issues.
The Jackson Sun reported that the toddler was not injured but was hungry. “A deputy at the scene cared for the toddler until the Department of Children’s Services took custody of the child.”
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