A California man is facing eight felony counts of animal cruelty after more than 200 animals were rescued from a private property in Grass Valley, Calif., following what officials described as one of the most significant and most distressing animal cruelty cases they’ve ever handled.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon and animal control supervisor Stefanie Geckler said the investigation began with a call from a concerned neighbor on Sunday, Nov. 30. The neighbor reported seeing dead animals on the next-door property. Animal control officers were not on duty at the time, but a patrol sergeant responded immediately and quickly realized the situation was far more serious than initially reported.
“When he got to the scene, he saw deceased animals and living animals that were in extremely poor condition,” Geckler told PEOPLE. “That gave him serious cause for concern, and that’s when I was called in.”
Geckler states that she later arrived at the property with a veterinary specialist and describes the gravity of the situation.
