Janna Howard faces 43 counts of animal cruelty in ‘worst hoarding case’ in county history

A woman who lived in a home that local authorities in April called the worst hoarding case ever in Palm Beach County is in the county jail today, facing dozens of animal cruelty charges.

Janna Howard, 60, was living in a townhouse on 27th Lane in Greenacres. On March 6 Howard suffered a medical problem and, when fire rescue crews came to pick her up, they contacted Animal Care and Control regarding trash heaps and about 50 cats living in the home.

The house was condemned by code enforcement. Howard has since moved to a home in West Palm Beach, according to jail records. She was arrested Monday.

In an April Palm Beach Post article, Animal Care and Control Capt. David Walesky called the home’s conditions “deplorable” and said, “it is probably the worst hoarding case that we’ve seen in Palm Beach County.”

After days of working at the house, crews removed 45 living and two dead cats.

Howard was booked on 43 counts of conservation of animals, which includes tormenting, deprivation, mutilation and killing and two counts of conservation of animals causing cruelty, death, pain and suffering, jail records show.

A judge decided Tuesday that he will allow Howard to leave jail under special terms. She is not allowed to have animals, she must report to the sheriff's office and she has been assigned a case worker.