'Deplorable' discovery leads to charges

A woman is arrested after dogs, cats and a Burmese python are found in a house full of feces and urine.

By JOEL ANDERSON, Times Staff Writer
Published February 9, 2008

Customer service technician Sally Ortiz holds one of the dogs - a Pomeranian named Snowball - taken with other animals last week from the home of Debra Ann Harmon east of Brooksville. The animals are now being held and treated at Hernando County Animal Services.
	[Lance Aram Rothstein | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Lance Aram Rothstein | Times] These puppies were among those taken from Debra Ann Harmon's home. Some of the animals will be up for adoption.

BROOKSVILLE - The pair of 10-year-old Pekingese dogs had mange and bald spots, and their matted fur was caked with feces and urine. A black cat was missing its right eye and several teeth. And a pit bull was so weakened by fleas and worms that it had to be euthanized.

They were just some of the animals Hernando County authorities found last week living in what they termed "deplorable" conditions at 24514 Audubon Drive, just east of Brooksville.

The owner of those pets, Debra Ann Harmon, now faces charges of animal cruelty after a weeklong investigation by the Sheriff's Office found that she neglected the care of 12 dogs, a cat and a Burmese python.

Harmon, 53, was arrested Thursday evening on 14 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and booked into the Hernando County Jail. She was released Friday morning after posting $1,000 bail.

The animal cruelty investigation started Jan. 31, when a man living at her home, John Stansfield, 46, was arrested on a warrant for theft and dealing in stolen property. Authorities then discovered 22 dogs, three cats and a snake living in the home in what they termed "deplorable" conditions.

Hernando County Animal Services removed all of the animals from the home, took them to a veterinarian for evaluation and then transported them to the Animal Services office. Harmon signed over custody of the animals to Animal Services days before her arrest.

"This was definitely a case where if she had not signed over the animals to us, we would have pursued them through court," said Liana Teague, manager of Animal Services.

Standing in her driveway Thursday afternoon, a teary-eyed Harmon said she was having a bad day but declined to comment further.

But in an interview with the Times on the day the animals were removed from her home, Harmon said she had opened her home to many unwanted dogs over the years and claimed that Stansfield - her former husband - was just trying to hurt her by having the animals taken away.

Harmon then reeled off the names of the dogs, their breeds, some of their skin diseases and treatments and how they had come to live with her.

"I know how to take care of these animals," Harmon said then. "These people have got it all wrong."

Authorities said Harmon may have been overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for so many animals, some of them with a number of health problems.

"The best thing to do is to call Animal Services in these sorts of cases," said Donna Black, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office.

The floors of Harmon's modest home were soaked in urine and covered in feces, authorities said. Many of the dogs were infested with fleas and had skin problems and overgrown nails. One of the cats reportedly had an infected eye socket. The snake was kept in a small dog crate that was full of feces and shredded snake skins.

Five puppies living at the home were kept in separate cages and were carefully groomed, according to the report. Those dogs and their mothers were not part of the cruelty charges, nor were two of the cats. Harmon told authorities the puppies were for sale.

The pit bull was later put down, and some of the older animals, including the cat with the eye problem, could be euthanized, Teague said. But most of the others will soon be available for adoption. Teague said people who are interested in adopting one of the animals should first call Animal Services.

Meanwhile, Teague said, investigators are still trying to determine whether Harmon simply neglected the animals or purposely abused them, which could lead to other charges. Harmon must face the animal cruelty charges in court on March 5.

Joel Anderson can be reached at joelanderson@sptimes.com or 754-6120.

[Last modified February 8, 2008, 20:53:37]