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Vernon Hills, village resident in dispute over cat odor

Vernon Hills authorities will go to court today seeking an order allowing them to check inside a home that had been the site of animal hoarding in the past.

Village officials want a Lake County judge’s permission to enter the single family home in the 0-100 block of Brook Hill Lane in the Stone Fence Farms subdivision based on neighbors’ complaints about odors from cat excrement and urine.

“We are alleging there are odors emanating from the house that are a nuisance and that the owner maintains more than three animals on the property,” said Robert Kenny, Vernon Hills’ village attorney. “We would like to inspect the house to determine to what extent and what animals are there.”

Neither the occupant, Lisa Sliwa, nor her attorney, John W. Quinn of Grayslake, could be reached for comment. Sliwa claims in court documents that the village is trying to invade her privacy.

Vernon Hills’ current dispute with Sliwa began in October 2009. A lawsuit was filed last October.

“In general, we want to make sure the home is habitable,” said Building Commissioner Mike Atkinson. “It’s a reasonable question because of what happened in the past. There is quite a smell coming out of there. It gives us concern.”

In late 2004, animal control workers wearing protective suits and boots took four days to clear the premises of an estimated 130 cats and other animals. About 70 cats were taken to a local animal shelter and the rest were euthanized.

Conditions inside the home were such that those involved in the case remember the details vividly nearly seven years later.

“You could physically see fleas jumping up and down on the floor,” recalled Stephanie Gordon, an animal control warden with the Lake County Health Department.

The village declared the home uninhabitable and it required interior restoration before Sliwa was allowed to return. No citations or charges were brought by the village.

In the latest case, Vernon Hills wants a judge to let village officials conduct an interior inspection.

Kenny filed documents stating the village, as part of the case, must determine if Sliwa is exceeding the total limit of three dogs and cats — in any combination — for her home. Kenny stated the village also needs to assess the home’s conditions.

But Sliwa, 54, in an answer filed last December to Vernon Hills’ complaint, stated the village is trying to invade her privacy.

“(It) is not necessary to inspect the private areas of one’s home in order to determine if an odor in front of the house in the area of the garage has been abated,” Sliwa wrote.

Several resident complaints about animal excrement odors prompted the village to send an inspector to Sliwa’s home in October 2009. The suit says no one answered the door when the inspector rang the bell.

Atkinson sent a letter to Sliwa on Nov. 29, 2009, claiming the inspector detected “cat odor” while standing on the sidewalk outside her home. The letter warned an administrative search warrant would be sought.

Sliwa sent a letter to the village on Dec. 10, 2009, contending she was out of town when the odor complaints were made. She said she was in compliance with Vernon Hills ordinance by having two dogs and an adult cat.

Her letter, attached to the village’s complaint, says the stench was from chicken and a standing rib roast that were rotting in maggot-infested trash in her garage. She wrote that her daughter or a dog walker she hires typically would have put the garbage outside.

“I often spend half of each month on the road due to the demands of my fledgling business and my elderly parents who live in the South,” Sliwa said.

On Sept. 24, 2010, complaints about a strong odor of cat excrement coming from the property resulted in a Vernon Hills police officer being dispatched. The officer reported he noticed a strong cat urine odor outside the residence, records show.

Vernon Hills police were sent to Sliwa’s house following another odor gripe on Oct. 14, 2010, according to the lawsuit. The officer claimed he saw five cats together and spotted several insects flying by her home’s windows.

Sliwa contends she’s been harassed by some neighbors who expected she would forced to sell her home.

As part of the village’s complaint, temporary and permanent injunctions are sought against Sliwa to make her correct potential violations. The village also is trying to assess a $750 per day fine against her for each day she’s found in violation of local law.

  Vernon Hills officials are seeking a court order allowing them to inspect a home in the 0-100 block of Brook Hill Lane amid complaints of animal odors from neighbors. The same home was the site of an animal hoarding case in 2004. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com
  Vernon Hills officials are seeking a court order allowing them to inspect a home in the 0-100 block of Brook Hill Lane amid complaints of animal odors from neighbors. The same home was the site of an animal hoarding case in 2004. Bob Chwedyk/bchwedyk@dailyherald.com