CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #10053 Rating: 2.8 out of 5
Hoarding 267 ferrets
Layton, UT (US)Incident Date: Friday, Sep 7, 2001
County: Davis
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Jen M. Morrison
The fight between Jen Morrison and those agencies confiscating her animals ended Thursday when a 2nd District Court judge fined Morrison $500 and placed her on probation.
Judge Michael Allphin Thursday ruled Morrison was in violation of five different zoning and city ordinance laws by housing 261 ferrets at her Layton condo at 1064 N. 1250 East.
The condo doubled as Morrison"s Ferret and Reptile Rescue Sanctuary, a non-profit state-registered sanctuary established in 1985.
After neighbors had complained to authorities about the smell, Layton City Police, the Division of Wildlife Resources and Davis County Animal Care and Control officers on Sept. 7 2001 broke down the door of Morrison"s condo, confiscating 261 of the 267 ferrets on the premises, closing the sanctuary.
Morrison was able to keep six ferrets because of a Layton City ordinance allowing six exotic pets per household.
Layton City prosecutor Kris Neal said Allphin suspended $3,750 in fines against Morrison on the condition she pay $500 in fines and meet a 12-month probation.
The probation agreement includes no longer operating the sanctuary at her condo and agreeing to allow animal control officers an inspection of her place providing they give a four-hour notice, she said.
The agencies, however, did return to Morrison last week a pet tortoise they confiscated. They were concerned it was a desert tortoise, which appears on the federal endangered species list. Wildlife experts later determined the tortoise was not a desert tortoise and therefore one of the initial charges against Morrison was dropped.
Morrison views the reduced charges and the return of her tortoise as evidence she had done nothing to deserve having the back door on her home broken down. "They had nothing against me. It was really wrong what they did," she said.
Neal said Morrison was initially charged with eight Class B misdemeanors, but went on trial on six amended infractions. She was found guilty of five of them.
The infractions against Morrison were household pet violations, zoning district violations, no city-issued business license, maintaining nuisance animals, and having no county animal control permit.
The judge found Morrison not guilty of a rabies vaccination violation.
Morrison claims the only reason she was fined was so the state, county and city could recoup some of its cost in confiscating her animals.
Animal Care and Control Director De Anne Hess referred to Morrison as "a collector." "It was a dwelling intended for people, not 261 ferrets," she said.
After they were confiscated, the ferrets were held at the county animal shelter for several days until they could be farmed out to licensed out-of-state animal sanctuaries.
Although she did not have a city business license, Morrison said her sanctuary is a state-registered non-profit organization. She said since September she has not been housing the animals but has been using the sanctuary to make referrals on where people can take unwanted ferrets.
Neal said the city believes Morrison cares for animals, particularly ferrets, and believes she felt she was doing something good. "But the volume is not something that one woman can handle," she said.
The conditions of Morrison"s condo, Neal said, threatened the building"s sanitation. Neal said she is pleased to see the judge held Morrison responsible in ensuring it doesn"t happen again.
"The city doesn"t believe she is a bad person," Neal said. References- Standard-Examiner - April 12, 2002
- Standard-Examiner - Oct 10, 2001
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