The home owner, 61-year-old Pensri Sophar Dalton, was arrested Friday. She's accused of forcing mentally ill adults to live in prison camp-like conditions; housing them in converted chicken coops with razor wire fences surrounding the facility and padlocked gates.
City Attorney James Penman says 22 people were living in three dilapidated buildings - none of them with indoor plumbing. He says residents used buckets as toilets.
"The house has been converted. We believe there may be some illegal conversions in the bedrooms. People were living in rooms as small as 6 to 15 feet, two beds and a mattress to the room," said Penman.
He says the conditions were amongst the worst he's ever seen.
Dalton was charged with 16 counts of causing harm to elderly adults. She was booked at the West Valley Detention Center, where she remains in custody.
"I was wondering if that's illegal or not 'cuz that comes over on our property too and it's razor wire like they use in prisons," said Kevin Milner, a neighbor.
The facility has been shut down. A city attorney investigator says most of the 22 residents were picked up by family members or taken to licensed care facilities.
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