(WSB photo, October 15)

We’ve been watching court records for a month, and charges were finally filed this week against Matthew A. Hazelbrook, the man arrested after hundreds of neglected or dead animals were found at his Delridge home. (Our original coverage is here and here.) Hazelbrook, 54, is charged with 17 counts of animal cruelty. From the charging documents:

The defendant often travels out of State and has kept properties in other jurisdictions. The defendant was in possession of at least 211 live animals of different species on two adjacent properties that were living in deplorable conditions-ammonia, feces, lack of food, lack of water, lack of space; and there were deceased animals in cages, on the ground, and in cages with live animals. The animals were suffering from medical conditions that were being untreated. In addition to the various animals that were located as deceased on scene, at least seven animals have died since being seized due to the defendant’s neglect. The defendant poses a risk for acquiring and neglecting more animals as he runs a transport business across state lines, is involved in 4H groups, has unknown properties, and the condition of this property and the animals likely developed over a significant period of time going unnoticed and unreported. Hoarding situations such as this are complex and the defendants are prone to recidivism.

The charging documents say that the mid-October search warrant that led to Hazelbrook’s arrest followed a complaint about dead animals on the property two months earlier. Investigators say they found more than 100 dead animals and 222 live animals, most with no access to food, more than half with no access to water – 128 guinea pigs, 77 rabbits, 7 chickens, 3 guinea fowl, 3 dogs, 2 chinchillas, and 2 mice. More than half the impounded animals needed some kind of medical care, investigators say. The 17 charges are based on the number of animals assessed as being in “critical” condition, some of which did not survive.

(Seattle Animal Shelter photo from last month – one of the rescued animals)

Hazelbrook has been out of custody since posting bond on $7,500 bail one day after his arrest in mid-October. He is scheduled for arraignment – to enter initial pleas to the charges – next Wednesday (November 25th). The documents note that his only conviction record is for third-degree theft 33 years ago.

(WSB photos)

11:41 AM: Big police/fire response for ‘scenes of violence’ incident in the 6900 block of 24th SW. One person is reported seriously hurt. We just arrived in the area and will update shortly.

11:46 AM: Police tell us the victim is a man shot multiple times. They are trying to talk a possible suspect out of a house.

11:48 AM: Officers have entered the house.

11:59 AM: They’ve brought out two people for questioning. Neighbors tell us this is an ongoing nuisance house so they are not surprised. This is near the scene of last week’s RV fire and they say that RV used to park by this house. Detectives are expected to be on scene a while.

12:20 PM: The search isn’t over – police are now using a K-9 in the area.

12:51 PM: Checking city files, this address has been the subject of 12 code-violation complaints in the past 8 months, most recently less than a week ago, for trash, vehicles, camping, alleged illegal activity of various types. At least two resulted in citations.

1:27 PM: SFD says the victim, a man in his late 20s, was in critical condition when transported. SPD says the man was “exchanging gunfire with another man” and adds:

Around 11:30 AM, the suspect arrived at a house in the 6900 block of 24th Avenue Southwest. After an altercation in the home, the suspect and at least one other person in the home exchanged gunfire. The suspect fled the home and collapsed in the street, while the other person believed to have fired shots fled. … Officers are now searching the area for the person who fled the home.

The location where this incident occurred is known to officers in the Southwest Precinct, and SPD has been working with multiple city departments and neighbors to address ongoing community concerns at the home.

3:42 PM: We’re checking back with SPD to see if anyone’s been arrested yet. We’ve also asked the City Attorney’s Office Precinct Liaison for this area, Joseph Everett, about the ongoing situation; he says, “We are in the process of reviewing whether SPD can legally declare the property to be a chronic nuisance under SMC Chapter 10.09.” (Here’s what that means.)

4:37 PM: No arrests yet. CSI is still on scene:

Megan emailed to ask that you be on the lookout for her boyfriend’s stolen car: “He parked it outside our apartment at 26th Ave and Dakota St. SW last night. It was stolen sometime between 8 PM last night and 11 AM this morning. … I don’t have any pictures of the car but the description is a ’95 dark blue Subaru Legacy wagon. It has a basket-style roof rack on top. WA plate BGC7565.” Please call 911 if you see it.

10:03 PM: SFD has a “scenes of violence” response headed to the 9200 block of 17th SW. According to the dispatch, a man is reported to have been assaulted with a baseball bat. No other details yet.

10:16 PM: Officers were reported to be talking with possible suspects. No update on the victim’s condition; SFD medics were treating him.

9:26 AM: SFD says they took a 25-year-old man to the hospital “in stable condition.”

3:23 PM: We’ve obtained the report narrative from SPD. The original 911 call was “two males, one female” fighting, and one man being hit with a bat. The victim had facial injuries and possible abdominal injuries, and could not or would not tell the officers anything but his name. A witness said the attacker got away on a bicycle; the possible suspects located by police did not pan out, and no arrests were made.

(Thursday, reader photo by Alex)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The executive director of the Seattle Animal Shelter now calls the Delridge situation we first reported Thursday “the worst case of animal neglect and cruelty I’ve seen in more than 20 years of doing this work, and it’s quite possibly the worst case our shelter has ever handled.” As the man arrested at his house near 26th/Findlay made his first court appearance today, SAS provided an update on the animals seized there, and photos of a few of them.

(Seattle Animal Shelter photos from here down)

More than 220 animals are now in the care of SAS, whose spokesperson Melissa Mixon says they were “discovered in cages inside and outside a home on the property (and) are currently being treated at the shelter for severe neglect and malnourishment. Three of the animals are being transferred offsite for veterinary care reserved for exotic animals.” Here’s just part of the scene as the animals were brought to shelter HQ for intake:

Mixon provided this list of the animals they found:

77 rabbits
128 guinea pigs​
​7 chickens
2 mice
7 chinchillas
3 dogs

Mixon added that “in other buildings on the property, a number of deceased animals were found in cages. Investigators are still working to determine the exact amount but estimate it could be in the hundreds.”

More new information comes in the document from the 54-year-old suspect’s bail hearing today. He remained in jail today, with bail set at $7,500 by a judge, though prosecutors asked for $40,000. (11:11 pm update: He posted bond mid-evening tonight and was released.) He is not yet charged; that could happen Monday. The initial report is from SPD, which assisted animal-control enforcement in serving a warrant. The officer writes:

“I observed about 25 animals in the first room of the house … The animals were in small cages that (the suspect) called ‘transport’ cages. Many of the animals did not have food or water in their cages. (He) advised that he would be transporting the animals to the east coast soon.

Animal Control alerted me to unusual circumstances around the property. Specifically, they located deceased animals in varying degrees of decay. I asked (him) for permission to walk around the home and property.(He) allowed officers to (do so), and mentioned that he has nothing to hide. Every room of his home has animals living in cages. The floors are covered with hay, animal feces, and animal food. Inside the home I noticed two recently dead animals inside cages.

That wasn’t the worst of it – the report also says the officer found at least 80 animal skeletons, inside and outside of cages, in the backyard, in a structure behind the house, and in structures at property the suspect owns next door. The officer wrote, “Animal Control … believed the animals to have died from a lack of food, water, and medical attention.:”

HOW TO HELP: From the shelter:

In the 24 hours since the animals were discovered, the shelter has received an outpouring of support from community members, residents and organizations that want to help the animals. At this time, the best way to do that is through direct donations to the shelter’s Help the Animals Fund or via the shelter’s Amazon Wish List. Shelter staff have updated the list to reflect the needs for the 220-plus animals while in the shelter’s care. Graves also expressed gratitude for the support of the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation, which is collecting donations for the animals here.

Please note that, due to the ongoing pandemic requirements, the shelter is unable to accept in-person donations.

The shelter’s primary focus at this time is evaluating, treating and caring for the animals. In the coming days or weeks, Graves said the shelter may need the support of its foster community to help care for the animals so as not to strain capacity and resources at the shelter.

She says the animals are “in a very, very fragile state” but “are doing well in our care and our shelter team has done an incredible job in this all-hands-on-deck situation.”

The shelter says it’s handled double the usual number of severe animal-cruelty cases this year – 27 so far, when an average year brings 12 – and Mixon adds, “If you suspect an animal is being harmed, please contact the shelter at 206-386-7387.”