According to a Walker County Sheriff’s Office incident report, On September 29th, 2023, at 7:53 PM, Corporal Russ responded to 450 Schmidt Road lost 16 in reference to an animal complaint. The 911 caller advised that an aggressive dog was running at large and that the front door to the trailer was wide open with no one at home. Deputy Haven and Corporal Russ arrived on scene and cleared the house, conducting a protective sweep. Corporal Russ reported, “While inside, it was very hard to breathe, and the air smelled extremely strong of urine and feces. The floor was covered in urine, feces, roaches, and bugs, and the electricity inside the house had been ripped out. [I] could see numerous dogs inside, and there was a door that was tied shut with a rope that had approximately eight more dogs inside. The underside of the unit was also left open, and [I] could see water leaking from under the unit. The floor also felt as if it was going to fall in while [I] was walking on it. The conditions that the animals were living in were deplorable, and [I] could not remain inside for longer than a couple of minutes due to the very poor air quality. After seeing no one was inside, we exited the residence immediately for our safety.” Walker County Animal Control Officer Bishop then arrived on scene and was made aware of the situation by the deputies. ACO Bishop immediately contacted his supervisors and advised them. During this time, deputies made contact with a female identified as Morticia Lachele Bridges, 37, of Rossville, who had arrived on scene. Bridges advised that she had lived at the trailer for the last 7-8 months. Deputies and Animal Control were able to make contact with Stephanie Marie Wilson, 47, of Rossville, via phone. Both Wilson and Bridges gave verbal consent to enter the home and check the welfare of the animals. Walker County Animal Manager Clements and Director Mitchell arrived and assisted. Walker County Building Inspector and Code Enforcement Officer Pursley was contacted and responded to the scene. Pursley advised that the trailer was in such poor condition it was being condemned. Animal Control inspected the inside and removed all animals from the trailer. Based on the totality of the findings, both Bridges and Wilson were placed under arrest for 13 counts of animal cruelty. While searching Bridges, Corporal Russ located three plastic baggies containing meth.
Rossville pair arrested on animal cruelty charges after dogs found living in extremely deplorable conditions
