Lindsay Woman Charged With Hoarding Dogs, Cats, Exotic Animal In Unkept Home

Garvin County prosecutors charged a woman last week with 10 counts of animal cruelty after searching her home.

Heather Scyrkels, of Lindsay, was investigated after the Lindsay Police Department, along with its animal control, received several reports of animal neglect in June.

Inside, officers found several dogs of different breeds, birds, fish, a kinkajou, two sugar gliders, chickens and "various reptiles and amphibians," according to court documents.

The total number of animals involved was 174, Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn said.

"The unusual part about this case is the fact that there was such a variety of animals," Mashburn said.

An arrest warrant was issued for Scyrkels on Friday.

Officers reported finding animal feces, mold and dirt inside the home. Upon entering one room, an officer "immediately began to cough again due to the unpleasant animal odor" due to a lack of air circulation.

The animals were caged and did not have any food or water accessible to them and appeared to be malnourished, according to the court documents. 

Officers found one cat hooked up to a medical IV when they first entered the home.

"The things that they found inside were deplorable conditions," Mashburn said.

Scyrkels has a history of animal cruelty allegations. 

In 2012, she pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty in Grady County. In 2016, Garvin County deputies charged her with the same crime, but the case was later dismissed as part of a plea negotiation, according to court records.

The Lindsay police chief said on Tuesday they are not commenting on the case due to it being an ongoing investigation.

"Despite everyone’s best efforts to handle the issue then and make sure it never happens again, here we are," Mashburn said. "And so that will be something that we take into consideration when we figure out what to do with this case."