HENDRY COUNTY, Fla. -- 12 dogs were removed from a Clewiston home Wednesday after investigators say their owner was starving them and allowing them to fight with each other.

75-year-old James Herrmann was arrested on animal cruelty charges and is being held in the Hendry County Jail on $5,000 bond.

According to the Hendry County Sheriff's Office, a search warrant was served at his Appaloosa Avenue home Wednesday after ongoing complaints made to Clewiston Animal Control.

Animal control officers told investigators that Herrmann was starving the dogs and witnessed them fighting, with no medical care provided for their wounds. They said the smell of urine and feces made it difficult to enter the home.

9 full grown dogs and three puppies were seized and taken into custody by Gulf Coast Humane Society. Some of the dogs had to be sedated in order to safely remove them from the home.