If you get queasy easily, this story is not the one for you.

L.A. city prosecutors today alleged that a West L.A. bakery was filthier than a European backpacker in summertime. The Cake Collection had “live rats, live pigeons roosting, [and] rodent and pigeon droppings,” the City Attorney's office said today in a statement.

Ew?

Prosecutors today cracked down on the bakery's owner with a 24-count case because the operator allegedly continued doing business even after the L.A. County Department of Public Health shut it down, the City Attorney's office says.


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Here's the City Attorney's summary of its case:

Peter Plotitsa, 53, the bakery's owner, is charged with four counts of illegally operating while his license was suspended; five counts of failing to maintain a wholesale food establishment as to prevent the presence of animals, birds and vermin; four counts of unlawfully manufacturing food products without properly rodent proofing the building; four counts of rodent infestation; three counts of contamination of food contact surfaces; and four counts of failing to comply with an order. Each count carries a potential maximum penalty of six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

The health department cracked down on the bakery in January, suspending its health permit and closing it (or at least attempting to) after “viewing evidence of rodent droppings,” the City Attorney's office says.

But wait, there's more:

Health inspectors returned, found the bakery still operating, and discovered the “rodent infestation” was still an issue, prosecutors say:

During an additional investigation in July 2013, investigators allegedly observed live rats, live pigeons roosting, rodent and pigeon droppings as well as gnaw marks on the building.

Arraignment for Plotitsa is scheduled for Nov. 20.

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