Cats trapped and drowned in backyard pond - Norge, VA

Friday, Aug 10, 2007

County: James City

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Donald Hunt

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

A Norge man faces five counts of cruelty to animals in connection with the deaths of five cats on his family farm.

Donald Hunt, 55, was arrested late Friday, James City Police spokesman Mike Spearman said.

Spearman said James City County Animal Control loaned Hunt a cage for trapping the cats on his farm on Richmond Road, with the agreement that any cats he caught be transported to the Heritage Humane Society.

Later, animal control officers got a tip from New Kent County Animal Control that the cats had been killed. When animal control officers asked Hunt about the cats, Spearman said, he told them he had drowned them in a backyard pond.

Hunt is accused of drowning the cats between Aug. 10 and Aug. 13.

Cruelty to animals is a Class 1 misdemeanor. If convicted, Hunt could face up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine on each count.

Case Updates

Donald Hunt, 55, entered an Alford plea to one count of animal cruelty, a Class 1 misdemeanor, in Williamsburg-James City County General District Court. Using an Alford plea means a defendant does not admit guilt but admits that the state has sufficient evidence for a conviction. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed four other animal cruelty charges. Hunt, the owner of Hill Pleasant Farm on Richmond Road, will also have to pay a $500 fine and complete 100 hours of community service as part of his sentence. "We are appealing the decision," he said after the hearing Thursday. He declined to comment further on the case. Hunt is free on bond pending his appeal. In court Thursday, Williamsburg-James City County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Nate Green said Hunt called animal control in August to request traps to catch feral cats on his 400-acre farm. The traps were provided to Hunt's wife, Green said, with instructions to take any captured cats to the Heritage Humane Society. Later, Williamsburg-James City animal control officers got a tip from New Kent County Animal Control that several cats had been captured and drowned in a backyard pond on the property. When officers asked Hunt about the cats, he told them he had captured five and "disposed of them," Green said. The cats were drowned between Aug. 10 and Aug. 13, police said. After Hunt entered his plea, his attorney, Thomas Norment, appealed to the judge to consider the circumstances in the case. Norment, who is also a state senator, pointed out that the cats were in an agricultural - not residential - setting, and were creating a nuisance to Hunt's business. "This is not what you and I would think of as domesticated animals," he said. "They were feral animals." Norment said Hunt's problems intensified over the summer when five to seven cats had kittens, resulting in 17 to 20 cats on the farm. He said the cats were attracting additional cats to the farm to mate, and that Hunt's response wasn't out of the ordinary. "Mr. Hunt disposed of the cats - at least in his perspective - in a humane way," Norment said. General District Court Judge Colleen Killilea said she understood that Hunt was not the first farmer to get rid of feral cats this way, but he had the option of taking them to the Humane Society. "I don't think this is uncommon in the rural community," she said in handing down the sentence. "That doesn't make it right, Mr. Hunt." Despite the jail time, some animal advocates were disappointed with the sentence. Kristin DeJournett, a cruelty case worker with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, noted that a month is only six days for each cat that Hunt killed. DeJournett also said she hoped Hunt would not complete his community service helping at an animal shelter. Several Humane Society volunteers who observed the proceedings Thursday were more positive. Katherine Rahman said she's glad the case wasn't ignored altogether, and it's a chance to provide information on better ways to handle feral cat colonies, such as trapping, spaying and neutering, and vaccinating for rabies. "Drowning's just a terrible way to die, and it's not going to solve Mr. Hunt's problem," Rahman said. Lindsay Potts, an assistant director of government relations for the Virginia Farm Bureau, said stray cats are a problem in rural areas, getting into feed supplies on farms or spreading diseases to other animals. She said the most common practice for farmers is to trap the cats and turn them over to animal contro

Source: Daily Press - Oct 12, 2007 Update posted on Oct 13, 2007 - 8:50PM

A James City County farmer has been sentenced to one month in jail for drowning feral cats on his property. Donald Hunt also was fined $500 Thursday in Williamsburg-James City County General District Court. The 55-year-old Norge man was sentenced on one count of animal cruelty, a misdemeanor. Police said animal control officers loaned Hunt's wife a cage in mid-August for trapping the cats on his farm, with the understanding that any cats he caught would go to the Humane Society. Hunt was accused of drowning the cats in a backyard pond in August. He admitted to animal control officers that he "disposed" of the cats.

Source: Virginia Pilot - Oct 11, 2007 Update posted on Oct 11, 2007 - 5:32PM

References

• « VA State Animal Cruelty Map
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