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Wendi Kraemer of Rostraver, Penn. was arrested and charged with public nuisance on Tuesday, June 2 after police allegedly found 50 pigs on her property, according to multiple reports
Local authorities began investigating weeks earlier, after local residents reported a rat infestation in the neighborhood
Kraemer’s preliminary court hearing is scheduled for July 13
A Pennsylvania woman was charged with public nuisance after around 50 pigs were allegedly discovered at her home following reports of a rat infestation.
Wendi Kraemer, 59, of Rostraver, Penn., was arrested and charged on Tuesday, June 2, according to court records obtained by PEOPLE.
“Unbelievable. It’s unbelievable in there,” Township Manager Jeffrey Keffer told WXPI-TV. “We were chasing pigs and corralling pigs. Because there were so many, we had to make multiple trips. I think there were three trailer loads.”
The property has allegedly been condemned, The Mon Valley Independent reports, citing police sources. Police and Erik Mitchell, the township zoning/code enforcement official, began their investigation into Kraemer on May 18, according to the outlet.
Kraemer reportedly claimed to run an “animal rescue” at the property, and had established a website to raise money for the animals, the outlet reported, citing a criminal complaint.
Rostraver Police Chief Scott Sokol told the Mon Valley Independent that the pigs were “stuffed” into a small area, and that they also encountered dogs and cats in the “horrifying” conditions.
“We found abhorrent conditions, filth to a level that you could not believe,” Sokol claimed to the outlet. “There were rats present. We found a large number of pigs corralled on the property.”
Rostraver Township Police Department told local CBS affiliate KDKA that alleged “trash conditions” at Kraemer’s residence located on Route 51 are believed to have caused a colony of rats to “become established” and invade other homes on Adams Drive.
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A preliminary hearing on Kraemer’s public nuisance charge is scheduled for July 13.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office for comment.
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