(WHAS11) - A southern Indiana man is facing 61 counts of animal cruelty.  Jeffrey Lee is the caretaker of the Creekside Kennel and Animal Shelter in Clarksville, Indiana.  He turned himself in Thursday on those charges and faced a judge for the first time.  Lee is now walking free, after posting $1,000 of a $10,000 bond.  He was released about an hour after he was booked on the 61 criminal charges. 

In January, Clark County animal control officers found 61 animals in poor condition at the Creekside Kennel.  Officers say some had mange, others had parvo and several animals were dead. 

Animal Control officers inspected the shelter Thursday and found fewer animals – 19 dogs and one cat – in “okay” condition.  The shelter is owned by Wes Auberry, a resident of Hardin County.  That’s where Clark County Commissioner Mike Moore says many of the animals are coming from.

“These animals are coming from Kentucky,” says Moore.  “They are being brought over here in large groups and just being dropped off.  There’s no profit.  Why Mr. Auberry is doing it this way, I don’t know.  None of it makes sense from a financial point of view.  It doesn’t add up.”

Lee’s attorney says the shelter is legit and does the best it can with the small budget they have. 

“What it is, they are a rehabilitation facility,” says Brad Jacobs, who represents Lee.  “So they get sick and dying animals.  They do their best to get them rehabilitated, to get them adopted and sent out.”

But at least one local veterinarian says he’s never seen an animal adopted from the shelter.  Dr. H.R. Gough, who owns Clarksville Animal Hospital, says he has been called to euthanize animals at the shelter, which he has refused to do. 

“In my opinion, they’re not using it as an adoption center; they are using it as a collection center.  They are just collecting animals and letting them live out their miserable lives there until they die.  I believe it’s a disgrace to animal control in Clark County.  It’s a no-brainer to me that County Commissioners, or whoever can get this job done, should close the doors.”

But the conditions may not be the shelter’s only problem.  Commissioners say the shelter owes upwards of $12,000 in back property taxes and at least $5000 for unpaid citations over the past five years. 

“Somewhere along the way here, we’ve got to have the ability, not only to assess these fines and collect on property taxes