A woman who promised to place pets in rural homes but gave them away to strangers in Newark was sentenced to 364 days in jail and ordered not to work with animals again.
Patricia Edmondson apologized in court for hurting any of the 15 people who entrusted their animals to her business, Save-A-Pet, which pledged to place the dogs and cats in loving homes on farms.
"I never ever hurt an animal in my life," said Edmondson, a former Elmwood Park resident who now lives in Pennsylvania. "I never meant to cause any pain and suffering."
Edmondson, who pleaded guilty to theft by deception in October, also must pay a total of $2,890 to the people who gave her about $150 per animal to find their pets new homes.
Several of her victims recounted their experiences.
"When Ms. Edmondson stole our dog from me, she took much more than the money and the dog," said Allison Madden of Wood-Ridge. "She took our ability to trust."
Authorities said Edmondson gave the pets to a man - who, in turn, handed the animals to people on the streets of Newark.
Although the sentence was in line with a plea deal reached in October, defense attorney Frank Lucianna spent almost 45 minutes Friday begging Superior Court Judge John Conte to spare the 47-year-old mother jail time.
In a heated speech that ranged from Edmondson's son to the war in Iraq, Lucianna said his client had dedicated herself to helping others.
"Going to jail would destroy her life," Lucianna said. "We're more concerned with animals than human beings."
But Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Ike Gavzy pointed to what he said was a 25-year record of theft charges and urged the judge to teach Edmondson a lesson. References« Back to Search Results
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