Racine couple accused; child neglect, mistreatment of animals
RACINE, Wis. - A Racine man and woman are accused of chronic child neglect and mistreatment of animals. Sandra Lemke, 38, and Steven Burdo, 39, each face 40 criminal counts including:
- Chronic neglect of a child (four counts)
- Negligently provide improper animal shelter sanitation standards (18 counts)
- Mistreating animals-intentional or negligent violation (16 counts)
- Felony mistreatment of animals (two counts)
According to the criminal complaint, on July 19, the Racine County Human Services Department (HSD) received a report concerning the condition of a home on Lorraine Avenue in which three children resided. When officials arrived at the home, defendant Sandra Lemke told the HSD worker she had "let the home go," the complaint says.
Initially, the complaint says Lemke would not let police officers or the HSD worker into the home claiming that "the family dog was vicious and would bite." But she eventually allowed them into the residence.
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The complaint says officials noticed "the immediate smell of urine and feces was pungent and almost suffocating. There had not been any electricity or water in the home for some time, creating a warm, damp, and sickly environment. As the worker climbed through the layers of soiled and stiff clothing, rotten food, garbage, and disheveled furniture to further enter the home, the smell became more acrid."
Lemke told the HSD worker everyone in the house "slept in the living room on the couch and chairs. The couch was covered in cigarettes, ash, moldy food, bugs and grime," the complaint says. Two deceased dogs were also discovered in a bedroom. A humane officer was dispatched to the home.
The complaint notes there were "at least 15 live cats and kittens that were discovered and removed from the home and one live dog." All the animals were taken to the Wisconsin Humane Society and treated for various ailments.
According to the criminal complaint, the "overall condition of the home was completely unsanitary, neglectful, and vile. The home was condemned by the Racine Health Department, and deemed unfit for human habitation."
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The Racine County Human Services Department received a total of nine reports between September 2014 and July 2023 for "dirty and unsanitary conditions" at the Racine home, the complaint says.
Lemke and Burdo made their initial appearances in Racine County court on Friday, Sept. 8. Cash bond for each was set at $20,000.