LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville woman has been charged after investigators say they found more than two-dozen animals -- including guinea pigs and domesticated rats -- living in her apartment in deplorable conditions.
According to court documents, representatives of Louisville Metro Animal Services executed a search warrant Monday at the apartment of 23-year-old Ashley Bozak on Patton Court, near the intersection of South 13th Street and Algonquin Parkway.
Inside, authorities say they found 24 live animals, as well as two that were.
Investigators say Bozak was already in custody on other charges, when two people who were supposed to be caring for the animals came to LMAS with concerns about their well being.
"They stated that the conditions were so bad, they could not care for the animals," court documents state.
Investigators say conditions inside the apartment were deplorable.
"The officers found feces, urine and debris on the steps leading up to the apartment," court documents state.
Investigators say there were four cages in one bedroom, containing three guinea pigs and 12 domesticated rats, many of which were covered in fleas, urine and feces.
One black and tan puppy was discovered "near death" behind the bed, and died on the way to the shelter, according to court documents. Investigators say a dead kitten was found on top of a pile of debris in the kitchen.
In total, authorities say they pulled 24 animals alive -- and two dead -- from the apartment. That number included two live cats and six live dogs. The animals did not have access to food, according to authorities, and the apartment smelled strongly of ammonia.
Bozak is charged with 26 counts of cruelty to animals, according to court documents. She was already in custody in Louisville Metro Corrections after being arrested on Aug. 10 for burglary and assault.
According to court documents, Bozak has faced similar charges in the past. An arrest report indicates that she was cited in March 2018 after LMAS investigators pulled several animals from her apartment when she was living on Kendall Lane, off Dixie Highway in the Shively area.
In that case, investigators say they pulled 30 guinea pigs, 16 rates, 10 rabbits, two hamsters, three cats and two puppies from the one-bedroom apartment.
Copyright 2021 by WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
