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Case #12393 Rating: 2.9 out of 5
Sick cat drowned in bucket
Lakewood, CO (US)Incident Date: Monday, Sep 17, 2007
County: Jefferson
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Defendants/Suspects:
» Michele Eshleman
» Mark Lewis
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
A Golden High School teacher and her boyfriend are suspected of drowning her cat in a bucket because it was sick, according to a Lakewood Police Department report.
They both now face charges of cruelty to animals and neglect of animals.
Lakewood resident Michele Eshleman, 40, told police she and her boyfriend, Mark Lewis, 44, decided to drown the cat to "end its suffering" because they couldn't afford euthanasia, reports said. Eshleman told police that the cat, named TD, had been diagnosed with "Feline HIV" a few years ago.
Lakewood Police learned of the incident after receiving a fax Sept. 21 from the Denver Dumb Friends League stating that Eshleman's 12-year-old son had told others that his mom and boyfriend drowned their cat in a bucket of water.
YourHub.com contacted Eshleman by e-mail on Oct. 5. She wrote she would call back but did not return further e-mails or phone calls requesting comment.
At 2:30 p.m. Sept. 21, Lakewood Police went to the Eshleman's home to investigate the complaint received by the Denver Dumb Friends League. No adults were home, but her 12-year-old son answered the door, reports said. When police asked if he had a cat, the boy replied, "Used to, but he was sick."
The boy said the cat had sores on its mouth and its jaw was falling off, reports said. When asked what happened to the cat, the boy said his mom and Lewis, a handy man from Lakewood, had drowned it and buried it in the backyard.
Police contacted Eshleman by phone later that day. She reportedly told police that she had called several vets and found it was at least $225 to euthanize the cat, which she said could not afford. Lewis told Eshleman his father used to drown kittens on the farm and they could do that to put the cat out of its pain. The couple drowned the cat on Sept. 17, police said.
Both Eshleman and Lewis had scratches on their arms from holding the cat down in the bucket, reports said. They were both issued a summons and are scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Oct. 10.
According to Dayna Hanson, spokeswoman for the Denver Dumb Friends League, the agency offers an easy way to report suspected animal abuse or cruelty by filing a report on their Web site, www.ddfl.org.
If an animal is sick, the Dumb Friends League offers euthanasia for a donation of $30, she said.
"We ask for a donation, but if a person cannot pay, we will absolutely take care of the euthanasia and the cremation," Hanson said. "There never should be a situation where someone feels they have to inhumanely take an animal's life."
Case UpdatesThe Lakewood couple accused of animal cruelty for drowning their cat in a bucket will not go to trial.
Michele Eshleman, 40, and Mark Lewis, 44, were issued misdemeanor citations Sept. 21 for cruelty to animals and neglect of animals after Lakewood Police discovered they had drowned their cat, TD, in a bucket because it was sick.
Eshleman and Lewis were scheduled to appear in Lakewood Municipal Court for a jury trial Feb. 15, but decided to plead no contest to the charges, which is essentially a guilty plea, said Tammy Smith, violations bureau division manager with the city of Lakewood.
Eshleman and Lewis will be on unsupervised deferred judgement for a year, which means if they have any further animal cruelty violations during that period, they could face additional penalties, Smith said. The couple was fined $299 each, including court costs.
The couple's attorney, David Thompson, did not return repeated calls requesting comment.
In a statement to the community on Oct. 8, Eshleman said, "I have owned and loved cats all my life, and--right or wrong--we wanted to help TD die as quickly and painlessly as our means allowed at that time." | Source: Denver Yourhub - Feb 15, 2008
Update posted on Feb 15, 2008 - 7:45PM |
A couple charged with drowning their sick cat pleaded not guilty on Tuesday.
Michele Eshleman and her boyfriend Mark Lewis both face animal cruelty charges for drowning their cat in a bucket of water in September.
The two told Lakewood Police they drowned the sick animal to "end its suffering." The couple told police they had called several veterinarians to ask about the cost of euthanizing the cat, but they decided they could not afford the procedure, which can be more than $200.
They told investigators they were unaware of less-costly options that are available at local animal shelters and sanctuaries. The Denver Dumb Friends League offers euthanasia for a $30 donation.
Their case is now going to trial. | Source: 9News - Oct 31, 2007
Update posted on Nov 1, 2007 - 12:09AM |
Michele Eshleman wrote a letter to the media/community, which was published on the Denver Channel's website:
Dear neighbors,
By now, most of you probably know that my fiancee and I have received misdemeanor citations for animal abuse. (Not all the articles have been completely accurate, but I guess that is not uncommon.) First of all, I am sorry if this situation/news has caused readers pain. I would also like you to know a little more of the details, for those who are interested.
About five years ago, my fiancee, Mark, inherited a beautiful black cat named TD when he bought a house in West Denver. The cat had always lived in that neighborhood and had always been an outdoor cat, so I guess the former owner didn't want to take him. Most everyone in the neighborhood knew him and fed him, and he was great at catching his own meals. A couple of summers ago, I took him to the vet because his mouth was bothering him. After many tests, the vetsaid TD had FIV (the feline version of AIDS). He said we could put him down then, or spend $750 on oral surgery that would temporarily prolong his life. Since we loved him, and we were able to come up with the money, we had the surgery done. When our neighbors got a dog a few months later, TD came around less frequently and adopted a couple of neighbors down the road. These women were always surprised when TD would let us hold him and pet him, because he wasn't so affectionate with them.He would cuff them. When we moved over a year ago, we tried to relocate him to our new apartment.But when we started letting him outside, he made the couple mile journey right back to the old neighborhood that he loved. So the ladies began to take care of him more permanently. We got two kittens to keep us company.
Recently these women called and told us he was dying. He wasn't eating, drinking water, or cleaning himself. One woman also said his mouth was really bad and that he seemed to be in a lot of pain. They asked us to come get him to put him down. We drove over that same day. Even in his pain, he purred when we pet him and talked to him. It was early evening-after business hours. I called four vets. Three were closed. One after-hours location was charging over $200 for euthanasia and cremation/burial. The recent purchase of a new home has strapped us a bit, so... we considered waiting until morning and calling around some more, but we were honestly concerned about letting him go through the night and making him suffer even longer.
As it said in the papers, Mark recalled a family member having to drown cats years ago, and we decided on that route. I'm also from a rural area of Maine, and many people consider it the next most humane way to put down an animal. On farms and in rural areas, it is fairly common. Anyone who is not vegetarian has assisted in much worse treatment to animals. I realize not everyone is going to agree with the method we chose, but I wanted you to know that it was our intention to be compassionate, not to make him suffer.
I have owned and loved cats all my life, and -- right or wrong -- we wanted to help TD die as quickly and painlessly as our means allowed at that time.
On Wednesday, we will find out if we'll have to pay a fine or whether it will be deferred. Again, I apologize for the discomfort this situation may have caused and for the way that Golden High has been implicated. Golden is a wonderful school with a lot of incredible staff members. This is not how I would like to be known in this community, and it pains me that I have been labeled now negatively in the papers. I would much prefer to be known for the many other good things I have done. The fact that I am a teacher, I guess makes it bigger news. I have learned through experience to look for the lessons and do my best to grow and improve myself, so that's what I'm going to try to do.
Thanks for hearing me out,
Michele Eshleman | Source: The Denver Channel - Oct 13, 2007
Update posted on Oct 13, 2007 - 9:27PM |
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