Onalaska women plead not guilty to 29 crimes of animal, child neglect

After 20 years of complaints, police investigated home garbage
and feces filled home with dogs, horses, a cat all being neglected.

Police found 44 rats in the freezer, next to food. Thirty-two more were in various cages upstairs. Feces and urine was everywhere. 

Animals – dogs, horses, a cat – malnourished. Either no or little water. Locked in cages and corrals.

 

Police wore gas masks to inspect Linda West’s Onalaska property. The 74-year-old and her 37-year-old daughter, Carol West, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in La Crosse County court to 29 crimes – each.

Two were for child neglect of Carol’s 8- and 11-year-old kids. Six were felonies for the mistreatment of animals and 21 more misdemeanors, also for mistreatment of animals. They will head to trial, their house condemned by the county.

“The West property was the worst property I’ve ever been to in my entire life, as far as cleanliness,” La Crosse County sheriff’s deputy Rich Amundsen told the court. 

He investigated the house in October, piles of garbage everywhere with lanes in between to walk through. The investigation came after 20 years of complaints related to the mother and daughter’s place. A neighbor provoked it, complaining about a horse belonging to Linda West tearing up his lawn.

Police seized all those rats, 16 horses, eight dogs and a cat at N577 Hauser Rd.

“During a brief conversation with Linda, I talked about the deplorable conditions in the home and she responded, ‘It isn’t that bad,’ ” Amundsen said.

Kathy KasaKaitas from the Coulee Region Humane Society said dogs had sore spots on their skin and fur.

“There was so much feces in the kennel that the dog was to the top of the wire cage, and it was constantly rubbing on the dog,” she told the court.

KasaKaitas also said horses at the house had hooves that were so overgrown, they were unable to walk or run.