EXCLUSIVE: Officials seize more than 200 animals from Santa Fe feed store
SANTA FE, TX (KTRK) -- On a cloudy drizzly day just before 11am, authorities from Webster, Santa Fe, Galveston and Houston were ready to take more than 214 animals from Santa Fe feed store.
"We are finding all sorts of animals. There are pigs, goats, donkeys, sheep," said Monica Schmidt, Houston Humane Society.
PHOTOS: Officials raid Santa Fe feed store
They even encountered rabbits, peacocks, snakes -- and the list goes on.
"One of the worst once I've seen, personally," said Melvin Trover with Bayou Animal Services.
Trover said the agency got a call about animal neglect weeks back and after going undercover they found enough evidence of animal neglect, he said, to get a warrant signed by a judge Wednesday night.
"We found animals not being fed and we did find a deceased pot belly pig in one of the stalls," said Trover, who found two dead animals on property.
Eyewitness News first spoke to Candace Kliesing earlier this month. She bought Wilbert at the feed store and within 10 days it died.
"I'm sick to my stomach," said Kliesing.
She was happy to see authorities step in but some folks in the area were not.
"We have never seen anything neglected," said Janet Roy, a loyal customer. "I would want to know more about it."
A court hearing is scheduled for April 8th.
