Florida woman arrested after dozens of animals, father found in ‘hazardous’ home

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida woman was arrested Friday after law enforcement found dozens of animals in “hazardous” conditions at her Kissimmee home earlier this year, according to court records.

An affidavit states that on March 9, 2022, officers arrived at a home along San Carlos Way — belonging to 43-year-old Noemy Pantoja — after receiving reports of over 30 dogs and cats living in the building.

A complaint filed by Pantoja’s brother says that their father lives with Pantoja in the home, and Pantoja’s family hadn’t heard from the father in a while, sparking concern for his well-being.

Pantoja’s brother explained that he arrived at the home on March 8, finding the father looking “skinny and weak” and living with multiple dogs and cats. The complaint shows that there was animal urine and feces all over in the home.

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The brother then sent officers a video of the father struggling to walk in the home as dogs and cats ran around him. According to officers, the video showed the house in “deplorable conditions,” with broken walls, debris scattered and feces on the floor.

Officers added that Pantoja was the primary caregiver, as the father was 76 years old and suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the affidavit, officers were eventually able to contact Pantoja on March 10, and she told them that the dogs and cats were left by former gang-affiliated tenants.

That same day, a dog was found locked inside a car near the home that was not running, and while Pantoja denied owning the car, officers found that it was registered in her name, court records reveal. Officers said Pantoja admitted to lying due to being “afraid.” She was issued a citation for animal cruelty.

Pantoja ultimately surrendered seven dogs and 23 cats, though she told officers that there were only a couple more cats in the home that she was unable to catch, documents state. Officers added that Pantoja wouldn’t let them into the house “due to liability.”

The next day, law enforcement served a warrant to search the home. Upon entry, officers said the “odor was overwhelming,” with the smell of ammonia causing their eyes and throats to burn.

During the seizure, 13 cats and one dog was removed from the home, court records state. Officers said they laid out traps in the home to catch three more cats a few days later.

Investigators said the home had many bags of garbage on the floor along with empty food containers, abundant feces, overflowing litter pans, cobwebs, flies and cockroaches.

A veterinarian later inspected the animals taken from the home, noting that several of them suffered from ear mite infections, severe excoriations, fleas, nasal and ocular discharge, and respiratory infections likely caused by stressful situations such as overcrowding or poor living conditions.

Following an investigation by the Florida Department of Children and Families, Pantoja was ordered to leave her father with a friend and not allow him back into the home until it was properly cleaned.

Pantoja was ultimately arrested on July 21, 2023, and faces nine counts of animal cruelty and three counts of confining animals without proper living conditions.

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