SEBRING, Fla. (WFLA) — A mother and her son were arrested Tuesday after deputies going to their Highlands County home to initiate an eviction process said they stumbled across conditions inside that only could be described as “deplorable.”

Deputies arrived at the single-wide mobile home on Broadland Lane in the Kissimmee River Estates neighborhood around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office said.

As soon as they stepped inside, authorities said they found over 50 animals — 46 dogs and eight cats — trapped in crates and wandering around the mobile home, which was covered in feces, cobwebs and garbage.

“The entire floor of the home was covered in animal feces and there were many crates, the bottoms of which were also covered with several inches of feces, stacked upon each other,” the sheriff’s office said. “The crates, which contained both dogs and cats, were all covered with cloth that prevented any free air flow.”

While there were water bowls in some of the crates, officials said none were filled with water. Instead, some of the bowls contained urine. Deputies said they later learned the animals that were confined in kennels had never been let out.

Many of the dogs appeared to have flea infestations, and several had noticeable hair loss, the sheriff’s office reported. Those with long hair were observed with feces matted to their bodies.

As deputies continued walking around the home, footage from their body-worn cameras showed roaches crawling in and out of the cages. According to officials, the entire home was infested with the pests, along with rats.

Deputies were told that the residents, 66-year-old Darlene Hutchinson, and her son, 36-year-old Arthur Melvin Doliver, had been living in the home for six years and started out with just two dogs and one cat.

Hutchinson and Doliver were both arrested that same day and charged with 56 counts of animal cruelty.

“Treating even one animal like this is inexcusable but having more than 50 of them living in this kind of condition is just mind boggling,” Sheriff Paul Blackman said. “There is no reason anyone can give that would justify animals being kept in this kind of situation.”

Members of the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services Unit spent several hours rescuing all of the animals from the home. Since the Animal Services facility has been under construction, all of the animals were taken to the Humane Society of Highlands County.

The animals were scheduled to be seen by a veterinarian Wednesday morning.

“I want to thank Judy Spiegel and the rest of the staff at the Humane Society for coming out last night and helping us get these animals the immediate care they needed,” Blackman said. “We know they are in good hands now and their lives are going to only get better.”

In a social media post, the Humane Society said it will soon be looking for fosters for the animals, as well as donations of items like medicated shampoo, treats and blankets to help provide them with the care they need.

Anyone who would like to assist the Humane Society can call 863-655-1522.