Hoarding 3 dogs, 10 cats
Bennington, VT (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jun 29, 2007
County: Bennington
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Michael Rinaldo
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A Bennington man was arraigned on Auust 27 for charges stemming from alleged mistreatment of three dogs and 10 cats.
Michael Rinaldo, 52, of North Branch Street pleaded not guilty to 10 charges of cruelty to animals.
According to an affidavit by Bennington Police Officer Anthony Silvestro, police responded to a dispute at Rinaldo's residence on June 29. Rinaldo, the complainant, said that his landlord had been vandalizing the locks to his residence.
Silvestro said he heard several dogs barking in the trailer, and asked Rinaldo about it. Rinaldo told Silvestro that he has three dogs and 10 cats. Rinaldo reportedly also said that he had no running water or electricity inside.
Silvestro said he asked Rinaldo to open the door to the residence. Silvestro said, once Rinaldo did, he could smell a strong odor of urine and feces. The odor caused Silvestro to gag and his eyes to tear.
According to Silvestro, the home had parts of the floor missing. He said he saw empty water and food bowls. Silvestro said the dogs themselves emitted a very strong odor of urine and feces. According to the affidavit, the dogs were missing large patches of fur. One of them was reportedly scratching itself, and crying as it did. Silvestro said he noticed dry blood where the dog had been scratching itself.
Silvestro said another dog had a very large tumor on its stomach that hung to the floor as it walked.
Silvestro also said there was one litter box for the 10 cats. The room where the animals were kept was allegedly very hot and lacked ventilation.
Rinaldo reportedly said that the dogs had fleas and probably ticks.
Silvestro said he met with an investigator from the Second Chance Animal Shelter on July 12. She reportedly told him that she had gone to the residence because one of the dogs had died. The investigator said the dog had chewed on an exposed wire and was electrocuted. According to the investigator, the trailer had rats that chewed on the wire and caused the wire to be exposed.
According to Silvestro, the animals were seized on July 30. Rinaldo reportedly became agitated and was placed in restraints. Silvestro said two dogs were removed as well as seven cats, one of which was deceased.
Silvestro said he asked Rinaldo why he did not seek medical treatment for the animals, and Rinaldo allegedly said that it was a waste of money. Rinaldo reportedly said the dogs only had fleas and ticks. Silvestro said he pointed out to Rinaldo that one of the dogs had a tumor the size of a softball.
According to Silvestro, there were cat feces all over the shelves, tabletops and furniture of the residence.
Silvestro said Rinaldo had called him since the seizure, claiming that police had signed his death warrant, as the cats would no longer be able to keep the trailer's rats in check
Case UpdatesA hearing to determine whether a Bennington man accused of animal cruelty should forfeit his animals was continued because of competency issues.
Michael Rinaldo, 52, of North Branch Street has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of cruelty to animals after police reportedly found two dogs and eight cats living in his residence in squalid conditions.
The hearing, held in Bennington District Court on Monday, was continued from a previous hearing on Friday. The state presented numerous witnesses, but defense attorney Frederick Bragdon, representing Rinaldo, asked that the hearing be adjourned until his client could be evaluated for competency.
"I'm afraid what the defense wants to use does not meet with the reality of what is happening here," Bragdon said. "It's been an ongoing struggle between Mr. Rinaldo and myself."
The issue between the two, Bragdon said, was if Rinaldo would testify on his own behalf.
Judge Katherine Hayes ordered an outpatient competency evaluation for Rinaldo, and put the hearing on hold until the evaluation takes place.
Patricia McKee, a Second Chance Animal Shelter technician, testified about the cats taken from the residence.
"There were six cats initially," McKee said. "They were all flea-infested, had severe respiratory infections, were thin and had nasal and ocular discharge."
According to McKee, the animals were also slightly dehydrated, had internal parasites and smelled of "rancid urine."
"Two were socialized, the rest were semi-feral," McKee said. "They wanted to bite and scratch us."
McKee said one of the cats died of feline distemper 27 days after it was taken from the residence by police. McKee claimed that three of the other cats tested positive for feline distemper and were euthanized.
The state had veterinarian Dr. Anna Worth of the West Mountain Animal Hospital testify as to the condition of the two dogs recovered from Rinaldo's residence.
"The biggest problem they had was a bad skin condition," Worth said. "There were smelly, itchy and had hair loss where they had been scratching."
Worth testified that one of the dogs had a large growth on its chest that later became ulcerated and had to be removed. She also said that both dogs had substantial flea problems.
According to an affidavit by Bennington Police Officer Anthony Silvestro, police responded to a dispute at Rinaldo's residence on June 29. Rinaldo, the complainant, said that his landlord had been vandalizing the locks to his residence.
Silvestro said he heard several dogs barking in the trailer, and asked Rinaldo about it. Rinaldo told Silvestro that he has three dogs and 10 cats. Rinaldo reportedly also said that he had no running water or electricity inside.
Silvestro said he asked Rinaldo to open the door to the residence. Silvestro said, once Rinaldo did, he could smell a strong odor of urine and feces. The odor caused Silvestro to gag and his eyes to tear.
According to Silvestro, the home had parts of the floor missing. He said he saw empty water and food bowls. Silvestro said the dogs themselves emitted a very strong odor of urine and feces.
Silvestro said another dog had a very large tumor on its stomach that hung to the floor as it walked.
Silvestro also said there was one litter box for the 10 cats. The room where the animals were kept was allegedly very hot and lacked ventilation.
Silvestro said he met with an investigator from the Second Chance Animal Shelter on July 12. She reportedly told him that she had gone to the residence because one of the dogs had died. The investigator said the dog had chewed on an exposed wire and was electrocuted. According to the investigator, the trailer had rats that chewed on the wire and caused the wire to be exposed.
According to Silvestro, the animals were seized on July 30. Rinaldo reportedly became agitated and was placed in restraints. Silvestro said two dogs were removed as well as seven cats, one of which was deceased.
Silvestro said he asked Rinaldo why he did not seek medical treatment for the animals, and Rinaldo allegedly said that it was a waste of money. Rinaldo reportedly said the dogs only had fleas and ticks.
According to Silvestro, there were cat feces all over the shelves, tabletops and furniture of the residence.
Silvestro said Rinaldo had called him since the seizure, claiming that police had signed his death warrant, as the cats would no longer be able to keep the trailer's rats in check. | Source: Bennington Banner - Nov 20, 2007
Update posted on Nov 20, 2007 - 3:00PM |
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