Rostraver Township police in Pennsylvania served a search warrant at a home outside Pittsburgh last Tuesday and found more than 50 pigs living on the property, including roughly 10 inside the house itself. Some of the conditions inside were severe enough that officers reported becoming sick. The property has been condemned.
The home belongs to Wendi Sue Kraemer, 59, who operates an animal sanctuary at the property on Route 51 near Adams Drive in Rostraver Township. Investigators went there after weeks of complaints from neighbors along nearby Adams Drive about rats originating from Kraemer’s property. KDKA-TV’s own video of dozens of rats on the driveway, police said, helped lead to the search warrant.
Police said most of the 50-plus pigs were corralled outside in what officers described as a small area. About 10, according to Rostraver Township Police Chief Scott Sokol’s account, were inside the home. Sokol said the conditions inside the residence were difficult to describe. It’s evident from the photos that there was something of a biohazard in the home, thanks to the unsanitary conditions.
Kraemer has been charged with public nuisance and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 13. Humane officers and police returned to the home on Thursday with a second warrant and removed pigs, dogs, and cats from the property. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has been notified.
What Officers Found
Rostraver Township police and Erik Mitchell, the township’s zoning and code enforcement official, opened an investigation at the property on May 18 after residents along nearby Adams Drive complained that rats coming from the property were spreading into their homes. Police said a build-up of trash around the property, along with what they described as unsanitary conditions, was believed to be connected to the rat infestation that residents had been reporting in the neighborhood.
Police filed a public nuisance charge against Kraemer on Tuesday. Rostraver Township also issued several other citations against the property and condemned the residence the same day. A notice posted at the property declared the structure unsafe for human occupancy or use after June 2. Kraemer’s preliminary hearing on the public nuisance charge is scheduled for July 13.
The Big Animal Rescue
Humane officers and Rostraver Township police returned to Kraemer’s property on Thursday, June 4, with a second warrant focused on the animals on the premises. The officers removed pigs, dogs, and cats from the property and began arrangements for their care. Chief Sokol said the agency had also contacted the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Humane Services to coordinate the response, with the investigation continuing as the animals were transferred out of the home.
It remains to be seen whether the rat infestations have gone down for neighbors, but without a massive amount of animals and other detritus to attract them, this is likely the case. Large concentrations of animals like these can attract a number of pests.
If you’re dealing with a similar kind of situation, it’s good to let the police step in to see what can be done — or what the actual facts might be with your neighbors or the surrounding community.