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Case #10323 Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Cats stomped to death by convicted rapist
Annapolis, MD (US)Incident Date: Monday, Jul 10, 2006
County: Anne Arundel
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Michael Alan Poole
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
A homeless man charged with stomping an Annapolis woman's two cats to death is pleading insanity.
Michael Alan Poole, 24, was arrested in July after going to a home on Smithville Street twice in two days, each time killing a cat belonging to Annie Parker, city police said.
When Mr. Poole went to the house a third time, Ms. Parker's son called 911 and police found Mr. Poole nearby, according to charging documents.
Mr. Poole admitted what he'd done and even showed police where he'd left one of the animals, police said.
After police arrested Mr. Poole, they asked whether he ever had thoughts of harming himself, and he said he'd considered suicide.
"The cats are dead, so I should die, too," he told Officer Ryan Thiel.
Police committed Mr. Poole for an emergency psychiatric evaluation. In court papers filed in November, Assistant Public Defender Karl H. Gordon said Mr. Poole is not responsible for the crime because didn't understand that what he was doing was wrong.
A judge ordered the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to evaluate Mr. Poole and issue a report.
For now, prosecutors are taking no position on the insanity plea.
"We have to wait for that report before making any comments," said Kristin Riggin, a spokesman for the State's Attorney's Office.
Police said Mr. Poole had been coming around Ms. Parker's house for several months and seemed interested in her cats. Ms. Parker's son said he was "kind and gentle" with the cats.
But on July 10, one of the cats apparently bit or scratched Mr. Poole, and he killed it, police said.
The next day, Mr. Poole "came by the house again and went directly to where the cats were and just started stomping on one of the cats," Officer Thiel wrote.
Ms. Parker told Mr. Poole never to come back, but the next afternoon he did and her son called police.
A relative said Ms. Parker declined to comment.
Mr. Poole, who lists the Light House shelter on West Street as his home, was convicted of second-degree rape in 2001 in Baltimore County. Court records show that the case involved a 13-year-old girl.
After violating probation, he was sentenced to five years in prison, but a judge recommended that he be admitted to Spring Grove Hospital for psychiatric treatment.
A prison system spokesman said he was released in July 2005.
Case UpdatesIt took him 31 days to run afoul of the law. Released from jail Nov. 2, a homeless man who stomped two cats to death last summer was back in handcuffs Dec. 3, charged with stealing a donation can for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Anne Arundel County.
The next day, Michael Alan Poole - who is described by his attorney as bipolar and developmentally disabled - was charged with two counts of shoplifting from a Glen Burnie department store.
And Saturday, Poole's mother filed trespassing charges against her 25-year-old son, saying in charging documents he was "stalking" her family.
"We are afraid that he could do something to hurt us," Debbie Jacobs of Pasadena wrote in court papers. "He has once tried to set our house on fire."
While Poole is regularly reporting to his probation agent, prosecutors say he is dangerous and needs to be off the streets.
"He just can't keep creating victims, even if he is mentally ill," said State's Attorney Frank R. Weathersbee.
If convicted of a new crime - he confessed to police about the donation can and shoplifting thefts - he could also be convicted of violating his probation for the animal cruelty case. A judge could send Poole back to jail for 11/2 years for a probation violation.
Poole, who gave police a Glen Burnie address last month, was arrested this morning and charged with theft, said Elizabeth Bartholomew, spokesman for the state Division of Parole and Probation.
Details about that charge were unavailable. Ms. Bartholomew said probation agents are in the process of seeking a no-bond bench warrant to make sure he stays in jail this time.
Poole is scheduled to appear in District Court in Annapolis on Tuesday for the shoplifting charges and March 7 for the donation can theft charge.
A summons currently is waiting to be served against Poole in the trespassing charge.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys say Poole exemplifies the limits of the state's mentally health system: one where a shortage of beds and restrictions on admittance prevent some people from getting the help they need.
"His problems are not uncommon for our office," said Assistant Public Defender Karl H. Gordon, who represented Poole in the 2006 animal cruelty case. He estimates that 20 percent of all of the office's clients have mental health problems of some sort.
"The problem that always comes up is that people refuse to take their medication," Mr. Weathersbee said.
Mr. Gordon said Poole's case is especially trying, however, since a 2001 second-degree rape conviction in Baltimore County keeps most residential programs from giving him the in-patient psychiatric help he needs.
"A lot of the programs that would otherwise take him won't take him," Mr. Gordon said.
Circuit Court Judge Michael E. Loney said in May it was "regrettable there aren't more suitable settings," in the state for people like Poole.
And Frank Sullivan, executive director of the county's Mental Health Agency, said in July it is hard to place people in state hospital beds as private hospitals slowly get out of the business and close their psychiatric units.
"It's a national thing. It's happening everywhere. Maryland has actually tried to hold the line here," he said.
In 2006, there were 1,235 psychiatric beds at state hospitals, up from 1,204 in 2002. Overall, psychiatric beds at all hospitals in the state dropped from 2,532 to 2,495 over that period.
The Maryland Health Care Commission currently is studying the state's psychiatric bed capacity.
Poole pleaded guilty in April to one count of mutilating an animal, admitting he killed the pets of 86-year-old Annie Parker in July 2006 in Annapolis.
Police said he had been coming around Ms. Parker's house for several months and playing with the cats, but got mad and killed one July 10 when he said it bit or scratched him.
The next day he returned, went to where the cats were and stomped on another one. He went to the house a third time July 12, but was arrested before he could kill another cat.
The Humane Society of the United States called the incident one of the 100 worst animal cruelty cases in the nation in 2006.
Judge Loney sentenced Poole to three years in prison for the cat stomping, but let him out after 11 months when the convicted sex offender complained he was being sexually abused by other inmates.
Poole lasted only 13 days on the street after his July 16 release. County police arrested him for trespassing and harassment July 29 after he followed a woman he met on a bus in Glen Burnie to her work and refused to leave.
Poole was convicted of trespassing Oct. 19 and sentenced to 90 days in jail, most of which he had already served.
Judge Loney on Nov. 2 sentenced Poole to time served for the July 29 probation violation and ordered his release from jail.
The judge could have sent Poole back to prison for 11/2 years, but instead placed him back on probation. At the time, a prosecutor said the judge told Poole to take his medicine and find a suitable place to live.
Rosa Cruz, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, said Poole is reporting to his probation agent daily. Poole's probation ends in 2010, she said.
Police say an employee of A.L. Goodies at 112 Main St. spotted Poole on Dec. 3 trying to take a donation can for the SPCA of Anne Arundel County.
Poole told police he was going to take the can, but felt bad about it just before he got to the exit and was going to put it back. Poole was cited with misdemeanor theft and released.
The next day, security guards at the J.C. Penney at Marley Station mall stopped Poole about 5 p.m. for allegedly stealing a thermal shirt and gloves. He admitted to the guards in writing he stole the merchandise, as well as a pair of jeans and a T-shirt four days earlier.
He was charged with two more counts of misdemeanor theft and released by a court commissioner.
On Saturday, Mrs. Jacobs filed trespassing charges in District Court. She said her son admitted to her he tried to break into the house she shares with her new husband. Mr. Weathersbee noted that while Poole was charged with mostly "petty" crimes over the past two months, he's demonstrated an inability to live under the law.
"The next one could be major," he said. | Source: Hometown Annapolis - Jan 2, 2008
Update posted on Jan 4, 2008 - 5:22PM |
A judge has freed a homeless man serving two years for stomping an elderly woman's cats to death after the man complained he was being physically and sexually abused by inmates.
Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Michael Loney called a hearing Monday for state prosecutors and Michael Poole's defense attorneys to respond to the 24-year-old's letter dated June 13.
In the 12-page letter, Poole told Loney, "I allowed this to happen because I was young. I was afraid and vulnerable and if I refused they probably would rape me forcefully or kill me for not doing what they asked."
Poole pleaded guilty in April. At his sentencing, the judge "It's regrettable there aren't more suitable settings."
Poole's attorney said his client is bipolar and developmentally disabled.
Poole will live with a friend until a social worker can find a treatment program for him, Loney said. So far state prosecutors said plans to place him at halfway houses and other options have fallen through.
Poole was arrested one year ago, after he went to 86-year-old Annie Parker's house and stomped a cat to death two days in a row. Police said he had been visiting her home for several months and had played with the cats he later killed. | Source: WJZ - July 17, 2007
Update posted on Jul 18, 2007 - 8:55AM |
A homeless man who stomped two Annapolis cats to death last summer was sentenced yesterday to two years behind bars.
Michael Alan Poole, 24, whose attorney described him as bipolar and developmentally disabled, apologized to the court for killing the pets of 86-year-old Annie Parker and said he needs help.
"I can't keep running away from the people who are trying to help me. ... I've learned my lesson," said Poole, who has spent the past nine months in jail. "I do not hurt people on purpose. I don't enjoy committing crimes."
The Humane Society of the United States recognized the incident as one of the 100 worst animal cruelty cases in the nation last year.
Poole pleaded guilty in April to one count of mutilating an animal after a state psychiatrist found him competent to stand trial and able to tell right from wrong. Animal mutilation is a felony that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison
Circuit Court Judge Michael E. Loney sentenced Poole to three years in prison, but suspended one of them. The judge openly lamented having to send a man with such mental problems to prison.
"It's regrettable there aren't more suitable settings," he said.
Citing a hospital report, however, he said Poole needed a structured setting. After his release - which could be in a matter of months, since prison officials will probably require him to serve only half of his sentence - Poole will be on supervised probation for three years.
Assistant Public Defender Karl H. Gordon tried to place his client with several treatment centers and halfway houses, but plans repeatedly fell through.
Poole, who lists the Light House shelter on West Street as his home, was convicted of second-degree rape in 2001 in Baltimore County and is now a registered sex offender.
Mr. Gordon said that represented a "significant placement problem" and asked the judge to release Poole with time served.
"To incarcerate because of his mental health condition, I would argue, is ... wrong," he said, noting "at least 12 inches" of medical records in Poole's file.
Assistant State's Attorney Kimberly DiPietro said she also is frustrated by the state's lack of mental hospitals, but argued that Poole should remain in jail if he can't be placed in a more suitable facility.
"There is zero plan for him," she said, adding that he's technically homeless.
Poole was arrested July 12 after going to a home on Smithville Street twice in two days, each time killing a cat belonging to Ms. Parker, city police said.
Police said he had been coming around Ms. Parker's house for several months and seemed interested in her cats. Ms. Parker's son actually told police the man was normally "very kind and gentle" with the cats.
But on July 10, one of the cats apparently bit or scratched Poole, and he killed it, Ms. DiPietro said. She added later that he thought the cat had rabies.
The next day, Poole "came by the house again and went directly to where the cats were and just started stomping on one of the cats," Officer Ryan Thiel wrote in his police report.
When Poole went to the house a third time, Ms. Parker's son called 911 and police found the man nearby, according to charging documents.
Poole admitted what he'd done and even showed police where he'd left one of the animals, police said.
While police were questioning Poole, he said he should die because of what he did to the cats. He was taken to the hospital for an emergency psychiatric evaluation.
During yesterday's hearing, Poole repeatedly pleaded with Judge Loney to let him out of jail. He said other inmates are routinely attacking him.
"I can't go anywhere in the jail without getting beat up," he said. "I've learned my lesson. I want to go home." | Source: Capitol Online - May 22, 2007
Update posted on May 22, 2007 - 5:13PM |
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