Police arrest 2 after finding more than 50 cats in their motel room

By Beau Bowman

Click here for updates on this story

    DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — Authorities in Des Moines have arrested a mother and her son after discovering a case of animal hoarding at the Motel 6 on NE 14th Street.

Officers found 52 cats and a dog in the motel room occupied by Melisa Leverich and Damon Chaplin.

The investigation began on Jan. 3 when police were called to room 221, where they found nine dead cats in what court documents describe as “various stages of decomposition.”

“The first thing that hits you is the odor in the room,” said Sgt. Paul Parizek, of the Des Moines Police Department.

During the initial visit, officers impounded 32 cats living in deplorable conditions, including flea infestations.

Leverich and Chaplin were allowed to keep five cats and a dog on the condition that they sought proper veterinary care for the animals.

A follow-up visit less than a week later revealed that the situation had worsened.

“When we went back, we found that she had actually acquired more cats,” Parizek explained. Officers discovered 20 additional cats in the room, prompting them to remove all the animals, including the dog, and surrender them to the Animal Rescue League (ARL).

This is not the first time Leverich has faced legal trouble for hoarding animals. Court documents reveal that in 2023, she was cited for harboring 36 cats in the same motel room.

“We understand that when we investigate these cases, there is an odd compassion that the people think they’re sharing for these animals by bringing them in out of the elements,” Parizek said. “But it just gets to that point where it gets away from them, and it gets far too out there for them to handle.”

Both Leverich and Chaplin are charged with three counts of animal neglect and are currently being held at the Polk County Jail on $4,000 cash bonds each.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.