Hoarding 37 rats, 6 cats
Petaluma, CA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Jan 4, 2007
County: Sonoma
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Roger Alan Dier
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A man found living with more than 1,300 rats in 2006 faces new charges after 37 rats and six cats were seized from the filthy cabin of his sailboat, animal control officers said.
Roger Dier of Petaluma was cited for cruelty to animals and confining animals in too small of a space following the discovery of the animals Thursday in the boat anchored on the Petaluma River.
"The cabin was covered with urine and feces," said Jeff Charter, a senior animal control officer.
When Charter asked Dier how he could live with such a smell, Dier said "I don't even notice it anymore," Charter said.
The animals all appeared to be in good condition and were taken to a shelter.
"I think I'm the victim of a vendetta and persecution," Dier said.
Dier bought the 29-foot sailboat after being evicted from his one-bedroom home. Authorities in June found the home covered with rat droppings and reeking of urine, with rats stacked in cages so overcrowded that many had missing eyes and limbs.
Case UpdatesAlmost four months after 37 rats were taken from Roger Dier, the animals continue to languish at the Petaluma Animal Shelter and Dier says he wants them back.
The animals are considered evidence by the court-appointed commissioner in charge of the case and the city has no option but to care for them until the animals cruelty case against Dier is resolved.
Taking care of the rats and cats is costing Petaluma $45 a day and already totals nearly three-thousand dollars.
At a court hearing yesterday, Diers attorney requested that an independent expert be brought in to render an opinion about whether the animals were abused. The rats -- along with four cats -- were taken in January after Petaluma authorities found them confined in what they described as a filthy boat cabin in the Petaluma River. | Source: KESQ - March 28, 2007
Update posted on Mar 28, 2007 - 4:09PM |
It seemed that Roger Dier was likely to fade into oblivion after more than 1,300 rats were found in his home on the 800 block of Bodega Avenue in June, but his subsequent life on the Petaluma River has added an increasingly bizarre chapter to his unusual life.
But it now appears that Dier may have left Petaluma for good, amid the continuing, mutual frustration of Dier and local law enforcement officials. On Friday afternoon, he sailed down the Petaluma River, looking for a new home.
Earlier in the week, Dier was cited for illegally mooring his sailboat at Foundry Wharf Business Park and was arrested on two charges of cruelty to animals aboard the vessel.
After being evicted from the home on Bodega, Dier purchased a 29-foot boat, and moved into it along with two female cats, four neutered male cats and two cages of rats - separated by sex to prevent breeding. He was keeping the boat without authorization at the Petaluma Marina, and subsequently was evicted.
Dier then was adrift on the Petaluma River until Dec. 30, when his boat turned up unoccupied at the Foundry Wharf dock. A friend of his had sought permission to keep the boat there, but had not submitted required proof of ownership, current registration and insurance.
So, the boat, which has no power, was let loose from the dock, and became moored in the middle of the river. On Tuesday, Jan. 2, Coast Guard Station Vallejo personnel, concerned that the boat was not illuminated at night and that it blocked passage through the river, requested the Sonoma County Sheriff's boat to tow it to the marina. But Dier isn't authorized to keep it there, so he reportedly is considering taking the boat to Sausalito, Port Sonoma or another Bay Area location.
Dier said he doesn't want to discuss his current situation because he is busy dealing with the problems.
Many of these problems stem from the foul odor aboard the board. After noticing the odor, Michael Donovan, dock master at Foundry Wharf, notified Petaluma Animal Control officials. Senior animal control officer Jeff Charter examined the boat on Jan. 3, and found 37 rats in the cages, although Dier had promised to keep only four same-sex rats on board.
"The animals' situation was very bad," Charter said. "The boat smelled of urine and feces, rats' cages were filthy and there wasn't enough room for the cats to move around."
Petaluma police officers, acting on behalf of animal control personnel, arrested Dier for contributing to the needless suffering of animals and not providing suitable living conditions. The cats and rats were taken to the Petaluma Animal Shelter. Dier was released at the scene, but the case will be sent to the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office for prosecution.
"He was given 10 days to get his life in order and to find a place to go. If he can't provide animals with sufficient living conditions, they will be disseminated at the animal shelter," Charter said.
He said that Dier was angry with this stipulation, and threatened to hire an attorney.
"Dier said that big ---- would be coming down on us," Charter said.
When Charter returned to the boat on Thursday, Dier already had begun cleaning up the boat, which he was instructed to move out of the marina by 4 p.m. that same day. | Source: Argus Courier - Jan 10, 2007
Update posted on Jan 11, 2007 - 1:24PM |
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