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St. Ignatius Couple Accused of Animal Cruelty Accepts Plea Deal

Latzkes were charged with felony animal cruelty after authorities removed 11 dogs from LDR Kennel in July

By Justin Franz

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office removed more than 100 dogs from a St. Ignatius kennel after the owners took a plea deal where attorneys agreed to defer prosecution for 10 years if the couple gave up all but six of their animals.

Nadine and Larry Latzke were charged with felony animal cruelty after authorities removed 11 dogs from LDR Kennel on Dublin Gulch Road in July.

In the plea agreement, the Latzke’s will have to spay or neuter their six remaining dogs that will live at their home as pets. If one of the pets dies in the next 10 years they will not be able to replace it. If the Latzke’s violate the terms of the agreement, county prosecutors could re-file the charges against them.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Lifesavers Animal Rescue of Lake County took possession of the remaining animals at the kennel.

In July, the sheriff’s office received a report from someone requesting a welfare check on the dogs at the kennel. According to the reporting party, there was a terrible smell coming from the facility and at least one dog had its hair matted and smelled like urine. The reporting party noted that the dog looked to be in poor health.

Upon further investigation, the sheriff’s office found that there had been multiple complaints about the kennel but in the past the owners never let officers inspect the property.

According to LDR’s website, the couple had been raising “quality puppies” for more than 25 years.