Ga. mother, son arrested after amputee veteran found in home filled with feces, 66 starving dogs

FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia mother and son have been arrested on nearly 70 charges after a double amputee Navy veteran was found in a home covered in feces with 66 starving dogs.

Neil Klopsch, 48, and Cherry Lynn Walker, 71, were arrested at a home on Pine View Way on Jan. 24.

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The Floyd County Police Department first responded to the home on Jan. 12 over reports of animal abuse. Police said a wheelchair-bound man was living at the home and that people would “pour cleaning solution” on him and that dead dogs were buried in the backyard.

When investigators responded to the home, they found at least two dead dogs partially buried in the yard. Police said Klopsch and Walker cried and begged investigators to not go inside the home and take their dogs. They said the three people who lived at the home were all disabled veterans.

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They eventually let police in the house, where the smell of ammonia was so powerful officers had to wear respirators to avoid the toxic air.

Officers found the inside of the home caked with at least four inches of feces with dogs both locked in cages and wandering freely in every room. One dog had a litter of puppies and another was in active labor. There were cockroaches all over the walls and ceiling.

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Some of the dogs that were locked up had no food and water and had skin rashes and eye infections.

Animal control officers took 67 starving dogs from the home. Officers had to wear protective gear because there was a toxic level of ammonia inside the house. Kolpsch had dog feces all over his pajama pants and sandals, according to an arrest report.

Kolpsch and Walker were charged with 67 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and exploitation of an elderly/disabled person.

It’s unclear where the dogs were taken.

The veteran wasn’t identified.

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