Jun 16, 2022 7 min read

More than 60 animals were rescued from a Schoonmaker Avenue home this month in Monessen and three people now face a total of nearly 500 counts related to animal cruelty and neglect.

Jennifer Johnson, president at Ninth Life Rescue Services, received a call from another Schoonmaker Avenue resident who reported multiple cats had begun venturing onto her property. When the neighbor started investigating, she determined they were coming from the house at 44 Schoonmaker.

Johnson said the neighbor knew of Ninth Life Rescue Services because she helped her dog years ago, so the neighbor helped getting videos of the cats in question.

“I was like, oh my god. This is really bad, the videos were horrific,” Johnson said. “The woman wouldn’t let the neighbor in the house, but it smelled really bad, so I knew it was a hoarding case.”

Ryan Fiem, 42, and Charlotte L. Fiem, 47, are each charged with eight counts of aggravated cruelty to animals causing serious bodily injury or death, 56 counts of neglecting animals by not providing water, 56 counts of neglecting animals by not providing sanitary shelter, 56 counts of neglecting animals by not providing veterinarian care and 56 counts of cruelty to animals.

Christopher Lee Conaway, 31, who also lives in the house and claimed ownership of two of the dogs and three of the cats, is charged with five counts of aggravated cruelty to animals causing serious bodily injury or death, five counts of neglecting animals by not providing water, five counts of neglecting animals by not providing sanitary shelter, five counts of neglecting animals by not providing veterinarian care and five counts of cruelty to animals.

Cases of animal hoarding are nothing new to Johnson or her rescue, but that doesn’t make them any easier. Her organization was actually at capacity when the call came in, but Johnson felt this case was an emergency situation. Johnson called Monessen’s code enforcement, who contacted the city’s police department, and she brought a Washington County humane officer with her, All But Fur-gotten rescue and animal control was on call, when everyone went to the house June 1 to inquire about the animals’ condition.

Monessen police Officer Brian Mickens wrote in an affidavit of probable cause that once on scene he spoke with the Fiems and Conaway. When the group moved to the rear of the residence, Mickens wrote that he observed three dogs “standing and lying in feces in a large cage kennel with a tarp roof,” in the yard at 44 Schoonmaker and extending into the yard of the abandoned property next door.

Mickens also allegedly saw six chickens in a “very small ,

ANIMALS RESCUED • A7 FROM A3 undersized coop, next to the cage kennel.”

The Humane Society and Ninth Life Rescue asked the animal owners to give over the animals for proper care and to let them inside the home to check on the welfare of those animals as well.

The Fiems willingly signed over ownership of 32 cats to Ninth Life Rescue while the investigation continued inside, but were unwilling to give up any more of the animals.

“She was not willing to surrender a bunch of them,” Johnson said.

In the affidavit, Mickens stated that when the Fiems refused to have any other animals removed, he left the scene to obtain a search warrant to remove and seize any and all animals from the residence to get care for them.

He returned with the approved warrant and the animals that were not willingly turned over to Ninth Life are now with All But Furgotten. “(All But Furgotten) is taking her to court for ownership of the animals,” Johnson said of the animals the other rescue took in and is now helping.

According to the affidavit and Johnson, the 32 cats willingly given over have horrific health conditions that must be treated, including but not limited to emaciation, upper respiratory infections, conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, eosinophilic granuloma complex, general infections and infected bite wounds, yeast infections, dehydration, malnutrition and internal parasites such as giardia, roundworms, ringworms, tapeworms and coccidiosis. One cat needed to have both eyes removed because they had ruptured and remained in that state for so long it began to cause the cat’s skull to rot. Three other cats needed to have one eye removed each, according to police.

One cat died before emergency medical care could be given, the affidavit states.

Amongst the animals taken by All But Furgotten, there were wing and foot injuries to two cockatiels, there were five underweight, dehydrated and malnourished dogs kept in unsanitary cages, six dehydrated chickens kept in an undersized, unsanitary coop, and one bunny in an unsanitary coop.

There were also another 15 cats that were taken to All But Furgotten and among those five cats or kittens have either had eyes removed or need them removed and one cat has since died.

“The cats are in rough shape,” Johnson said. “They all have ringworm. They require quarantine and it’s an extensive treatment process. We were full before we started this case, but this was an emergency I had no choice but to take on.”

As a result, both rescue organizations are in critical need of donations to care for the animals that have been saved to heal, house and feed them all.

“We desperately need vet donations,” Johnson said. “These guys are going to cost thousands of dollars.”

To help Ninth Life Rescue, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Ninth-LifeRescueCenter, where the group’s Amazon wish list and Chewy.com donation links can be found. Donations can be made directly to the veterinarian’s tab by calling All Pets Hospital at 724-832-8885. Donations can also be made by mailing a check to P.O. Box 74, Grapeville, Pa. 15634.

For information on how to help All But Furgotten with the many animals they’re caring for as a result of this case, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AllButFurgotten.

“If you see something, speak up,” Johnson said. “We would have never known about this case if someone didn’t call in. And spaying and neutering can prevent all of this. Hoarding is a mental condition. You can have a bunch of cats in your house and not be a hoarder, but it’s when people who don’t even know how many animals they have (that it’s a problem).

“It never ends. It’s one after another after another. We’re all volunteers. We’re all full-time volunteers who have full-time jobs just trying to do this. We can use all the help we can get.”

The Fiems and Conaway have been scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 22 before Magisterial District Judge Wayne Vlasic in Monessen.