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N.D. (AP) – A rural North Dakota man whose brother was found dead inside a house that had no heat and was full of garbage and mice has been sentenced to a year of probation.

62-year-old Ronald Simmons pleaded guilty Tuesday to endangering a vulnerable adult. Authorities say his 58-year-old brother, Bruce, died of hypothermia at the house near Kindred.

Cass County prosecutor Tracy Peters tells KFGO radio that Bruce Simmons was a hoarder and hadn’t left the house for years. The two brothers once shared the house but Ronald Simmons moved into a garage on the property because conditions were so bad. There was no plumbing or water in the house.

Deputies were overcome by the smell when they entered the house and called in authorities with protective suits and face masks.