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Case #11608 Rating: 3.3 out of 5
Hoarding 50 cats
Martinsburg, WV (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Jun 7, 2007
County: Berkeley
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Anthony P. Sine
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Two organizations have pitched in to care for the dozens of cats rescued June 7 from inside a feces-littered house that authorities said had been condemned for human occupancy.
Applauding the work and donation of resources by Promise Animal League near Kearneysville, W.Va., and PIGS Animal Sanctuary outside of Shepherdstown, W.Va., Berkeley County Animal Control officer Donna J. McMahan told county commissioners on Thursday that the county has not had to pay "one red dime" for the felines' care.
In a letter to the Berkeley County Commission, McMahan said Star Sylvia of Promise Animal League and Melissa Susko of PIGS Animal Sanctuary treated all of the cats for ear mites and fleas, and vaccinated, wormed and checked all of them for feline leukemia and feline AIDS at no cost.
"Promise Animal League has supplied Animal Control with all food and cat litter needed to care for these cats," McMahan said in her letter. Nearly half of the cats will be kept at Animal Control facilities until June 29, McMahan said.
McMahan also noted that a total of 50 cats were alive when seized from the home.
Officials previously had released a different number, and indicated that two had died at the home at 89 Stuckey Court.
Anthony P. Sine of Martinsburg has been charged with 49 counts of animal cruelty.
Each of the animal cruelty charges against Sine carries a possible fine of $300 to $2,000, and not more than six months in jail or both, according to court records.
Case UpdatesThe owner of about 50 cats seized from a house covered with feline feces and urine has pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
Anthony Patrick Sine, 36, originally was charged with 49 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
Animal control officers wearing protective suits and air packs removed the cats from his Martinsburg-area home in June 2007.
Two kittens were found dead underneath a couch. In some areas of the house, the feces was 3 to 6 inches deep, police have said.
Sine received two years of probation after entering his plea Wednesday in Berkeley County Magistrate Court.
As part of a plea agreement, Magistrate Jim Humphrey suspended three six-month jail sentences. If Sine's probation is revoked, the agreement requires him to serve the jail sentences concurrently.
Sine's convictions bar him from owning or possessing any animal for five years, said Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Quasebarth. | Source: Charleston Daily Mail - March 6, 2008
Update posted on Mar 7, 2008 - 2:46AM |
A man charged with 49 counts of animal cruelty appeared before Berkeley County Magistrate James Humphrey during a status hearing on Monday.
The case involving Anthony Patrick Sine, whose Martinsburg home was condemned in June after authorities seized 47 cats found living in conditions the Berkeley County Animal Control described as deplorable, has been continued until Sine can retain counsel. Humphrey ordered Sine, 35, to apply for court-appointed counsel.
"You're supposed to have an attorney. Are you close to getting one?" Humphrey asked Sine.
In June, Sine was arrested, arraigned and released from custody after posting $49,000 bail. Sine refused to comment on the case.
The conditions of Sine's house at 89 Stuckey Court, were so extreme that authorities had to use hazmat suits and air packs to enter the home. According to authorities, the floors and furniture inside the home were covered in cat urine, and a half-inch layer of cat feces was found in some areas.
Nearly half of the cats seized have been taken in by Star Sylvia, of the Promise Animal League, and another three cats were taken in by the Pig Sanctuary near Shepherdstown. The 24 cats that remained in the care of the Berkeley County Animal Control have been taken in by the Promise Animal League and by various other organizations, according to an officer at animal control. | Source: The Journal - July 17, 2007
Update posted on Jul 17, 2007 - 10:59AM |
References« WV State Animal Cruelty Map
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