Officials seek owner of home with dead animals

Brookhaven Town investigators are looking into how an abandoned North Bellport home became littered with dead animals and tons of debris - and how the town can get the house's owner to pay for cleanup.

Town workers began cleaning the one-story house, located at one end of Walker Avenue, after neighbors called to complain of foul odors emanating from the property, Brookhaven officials said.

The property was littered with the carcasses of two dogs, three raccoons, numerous squirrels and rats and "many tons" of construction debris, boat parts and other trash, said Jack Krieger, a town spokesman. Workers were still finishing the job Thursday after doing most of the cleanup on Wednesday, he said.

Town officials identified the owner of the property as Watson Arline. Arline's last known address was in Columbus, Ga., according to property records. The town is attempting to locate Arline to recoup the costs of the cleanup, which have not been calculated, he said.

Investigators are still attempting to determine how long the property has been abandoned, Krieger said. It is possible that several people had been using the property as a "dumping ground," he said.

"It seems to have been empty for quite a while," Krieger said, adding that firefighters drained a pool on the property and found a dog's skull amid debris.

A phone message left at Arline's last known residence in Columbus was not returned. Krieger said the town has not determined whether Arline could also face criminal or civil charges for the condition of the house.

Jesse Thompson, who lives down the street on Walker Avenue, said the neighborhood has suffered from foreclosures and abandoned properties. He said he had not noticed the filthy house, but added that derelict properties make it hard for the area to "start to rejuvenate."

Roy Gross, chief of Suffolk County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said his agency is not playing a role in the case at this time.