RACINE, Wis. — A Racine mother will spend the next two years behind bars after she was sentenced on two counts each of Chronic Child Neglect and Mistreatment of Animals Resulting in Death.
In the summer of 2023, authorities found Sandra Lemke had three of her children living amidst piles of garbage, buckets full of human waste, and two dead dogs, decaying just feet away from where they slept.
“I hate myself every day for what I've done,” Lemke said in court Friday. “I just hope the court will have a little leniency on me."
Lemke’s attorney Jamie McClendon urged the judge to consider probation because the 40-year-old has sought treatment for her severe mental health issues since the children were removed from the home.
Watch: Racine woman sentenced to prison after kids found in 'deplorable' conditions
McClendon said Lemke has also had successful supervised visits with her children and that the family is utilizing counseling and other resources to heal.
However, Judge Robert Repischak sided with the prosecution. Opting to sentence Lemke to 14 months of initial incarceration for severe child neglect and an additional 12 months for the mistreatment of animals.
Both prison sentences will be followed by several months of extended supervision.
“I cannot just gloss over the fact that for a considerable period of time, you subject your children to deplorable, unhealthy, and downright disgusting conditions,” Repischak said in court. “I can only imagine the emotional trauma that they had to go through.”
Reischak also told Lemke, that while he recognizes her mental health struggles and efforts to address her crippling depression, she had several opportunities to address those issues sooner.
According to court documents, the Racine County Human Services Department had nine reports of dirty and unsanitary conditions in Lemke’s home between September 2014 and July 2023.
Lemke’s husband Steven Burdo, who was living with Lemke and the children in the home, has also been charged in the same case. Burdo has not yet been sentenced.
Two of Lemke’s children are under the care of her mother, their grandmother. The third child is under the care of their biological father.
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