Bond lowered for Antioch woman in 'worst' case of animal cruelty

By Juanita Cousins • THE TENNESSEAN • August 3, 2010 function(){ A judge lowered bond for an Antioch woman accused of allowing her four children to live in horrid conditions among dog feces and corpses during her preliminary hearing Tuesday morning. Dorothy Kifer, 37, is charged with 18 counts of aggravated animal cruelty and one count of aggravated child neglect stemming from a July 15 visit Metro Police, Metro Animal Control, and the Departments of Children Services and Health made to her home which has now been condemned. Metro Police Detective Thomas Rollins testified that he found Kifer’s children - ages 18 months, 1, 4 and 6 – covered in feces, bug bites and wounds. Inside the Maxwell Road home with little furniture and no air conditioning, there were 15 dogs with their matted hair covered in feces and two dead dogs. It appeared the other dogs had been feeding on the corpses, Rollins said. Animal Control Officer Billy Biggs and Judge Leon Ruben both called it the “worst” case of animal cruelty they have witnessed in their careers that span nearly three decades. Ruben lowered Kifer’s bond from $420,000 to $210,000 after her husband testified he could not afford to post more than $2,000. Jesse Kifer told the court that he had no knowledge of the living conditions because he had been in Iraq on duty as a National Guardsman since February and returned to Fort Campbell the day his wife was arrested. Dorothy Kifer pleaded guilty last year in Dickson County to animal cruelty. Since 2004, the Department of Children Services has had seven cases with Kifers involving their children being kept around dogs, feces and urine, said assistant district attorney Allen Grant.