"Hoarder House" draws attention, controversy

After a report about the unsavory conditions at a small white house just south of Beaman aired on KWWL Channel 7 News last week, the issue of animal welfare was suddenly thrust into the spotlight locally, but one shelter director says that the response is months- and even years- too late.
 
Over the last few years, the tenant of a home at 33694 K Avenue near Beaman owned by Keith and Ada Brown of Marshalltown amassed between 35 and 45 cats, depending on the source, and Grundy County Sheriff Rick Penning says that his department got involved in the case last fall. The cats were all removed from the home by October, and three were found dead upon an inspection of the property.
 
Penning added that the case is still active, and charges are expected within the next month. Independent sources have identified the ex-tenant, who is no longer residing at the house, as Becky Weatherly, a former employee of both the Beaman Tap and Casey’s in Conrad. 
 
Read more in this week's Grundy Register.