By John Conrad
Jan 16, 2021
Citrus County, FL. (Florida News Network)- A Citrus County man is facing 25 counts of cruelty to animal charges with additional charges pending, after deputies found dozens of animals living in deplorable conditions at what is supposed to be an animal rescue operation. The Citrus County Sheriff s Office say they received several complaints regarding the conditions at the Out of the Box Animal Rescue in Floral City. During their initial investigation, 56 year old Robert Schweickert was cited for violating several county code ordinances
Some of the most disturbing conditions discovered included dogs locked inside bathrooms with no windows or lights, with urine covered floors. One dog was found living in an old walk-in freezer type unit that doubled as a storage room. The unit was similar to the box of a moving van - completely metal, no windows, no electricity, and no ventilation.