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Rescued Animals Receive Care, Woman Receives 123 Charges

Polk County Sheriff's Office

Police found a filthy home with animal cages stacked atop one another and cockroaches throughout the building.

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TBO.com

Published: November 23, 2008

More than 120 animals that were kept in deplorable conditions in Lakeland are being treated and cleaned by Polk County Animal Control veterinarians.

Animal control officers seized the animals Saturday and are filing for permanent custody, Polk County Sheriff's Office spokesman Scott Wilder said in a statement.

The animals' owner, Carolyn Bragg, 57, faces 123 counts of animal neglect, one count of offering dogs for sale without a health certificate and three counts of tampering with evidence.

Bragg's daughter, Sue-Ann Goodman, 39, was arrested on a charge of tampering with evidence, and the Florida Department of Children & Families took custody of Goodman's 12-year-old daughter.

Investigators say Bragg and Goodman tried to hide three animals when authorities arrived at the property, at 6330 Lunn Road.

Detectives and animal control officers seized 117 dogs and puppies -- mostly Pomeranians, Yorkshire terriers, dachshunds and pugs. They also took custody of five cats and a parrot.

Investigators say Bragg had become overwhelmed by all the animals and wasn't able to care for them.

A wood-frame house, a metal shed and an older model travel trailer on Bragg's property were visibly infested with cockroaches and were in unkempt and unsanitary condition, Wilder said. The main house reeked with the stench of feces and animal urine, he said.

The animals were kept in cages and crates -- some stacked on top of each other -- inside and outside the house, Wilder said. Some animals roamed freely on the property.

The investigation began after someone who bought a dog from Bragg didn't receive a required health certificate, authorities said.

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