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Agency takes dogs, birds from house

By T AMARA El-K HOURY Times Staff Writer
Published September 11, 2006

One hundred birds, two dogs, two turtles and a rabbit were confiscated from a residence Sunday morning after neighbors reported the unattended dogs were barking all night.

Cheryl Sawyer, 42, of Kenneth City was arrested and charged with one count of cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor, said Pinellas County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Jim Bordner. Sawyer is the owner of some of the birds, authorities said.

Deputies arrived at 3950 56th Ave. N at 7:28 a.m. and found the rear door wide open, Bordner said. After attempting to make contact with someone inside the house, deputies checked inside. They found no one.

Instead, they found animals. Lots and lots of animals in what deputies reported were unhealthy conditions. Animal feces was found throughout the house, Bordner said. Deputies found dirty cages, sick-looking birds of different species and hanging bug traps filled with insects.

Deputies called animal control officers to the scene. The animals were taken to the SPCA of Pinellas County, Bordner said.

Deputies contacted the homeowners, Lynn and Martin Andrews, via phone. The couple said they were returning from out of town.

It appears that Sawyer and Lynn Andrews are bird breeders, Bordner said. Sawyer was arrested when she arrived at 1:30 p.m. at the house in unincorporated Pinellas County.

The Sheriff's Office is continuing the investigation, Bordner said.

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[Last modified September 11, 2006, 12:28:09]


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