24 dogs rescued from ‘uninhabitable’ Powell County home, pair arrested

CLAY CITY, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — Two Powell County parents are facing numerous animal cruelty and child abuse charges after a welfare check on Wednesday.

Court documents reveal that the Powell County Sheriff’s Department and animal control were alerted around 4:30 p.m. after Powell County Middle School staff conducted a home visit at Potts Trailer Park. Staff reportedly wanted to make animal control aware of the large number of dogs in the home as well as the home’s conditions.

According to the responding deputy, they could smell an “extreme odor of animal feces” as authorities approached the home and that “countless dogs” were running around the feces-covered porch. When approaching the door, one of the larger dogs bit the deputy on the leg, per court documents.

Court documents state that it appeared as if the parents, 42-year-old Matthew Bowen and 35-year-old Lonetta Daniels, were under the influence of a substance, and Daniels was unsteady on her feet and couldn’t control her movements. The pair allegedly admitted to using methamphetamine earlier in the day.

Entering the home, the deputy reported having to return to his cruiser and get something to place over his face due to the odor, calling the conditions of the home “deplorable and uninhabitable” in court documents. The deputy described that every inch of the floor in every room was covered in feces, urine, trash, and dirty clothes.

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The children, from ages five to 14, were dirty and appeared as if they hadn’t bathed in quite some time, per court documents. Upon investigation, deputies discovered the home had no running water and no dog food.

According to an arrest citation, 24 animals were recovered from the home, mostly appearing malnourished. The four children were transported to social services and intended to be placed in the care of another family member.

Bowen and Daniel were arrested and face 24 second-degree counts of cruelty to animals, two counts of first-degree criminal abuse, and two counts of first-degree criminal abuse of a child 12 or under. Both have been lodged in the Powell County Detention Center on a $25,000 bond and are due in court for an arraignment on Friday.

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