Sick animals abandoned in home, one found dead
Bethlehem, CT (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008
County: Litchfield
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» Charles Romanczak
» Natalie Romanczak
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A Bethlehem couple faces animal cruelty charges after officials allegedly found a dead Rottweiler, along with three other dogs and two cats which were suffering from starvation, in their abandoned home.
Charles and Natalie Romanczak, 65, of 39 Weekeepeemee Road, were arrested March 1 by state police and charged with six counts of cruelty to animals. They are scheduled to appear in court March 17.
Charles Romanczak stayed at the house occasionally but is living at his son's house in Waterbury. When he saw the resident state trooper at his house, he allegedly said, "I'm in trouble." The animals were sick, he admitted, according to police.
Documents released Monday in Bantam Superior Court indicate state troopers had to use breathing apparatus and protective hazardous waste suits on Jan. 15 during their 6-hour search for any surviving animals inside the home, which police said was filled with feces and garbage, according to an arrest warrant prepared by Officer Ray Connors of the Department of Agriculture, Animal Control Division.
Mounds of fecal matter, several inches thick, covered every inch of the floor of the residence, Connors reported. The carcass of a male Rottweiler was found in the living room on the top of a mound of filthy garbage, according to the warrant.
The dead dog weighed 55 pounds, half of what a healthy one weighs, according to a necropsy conducted by a veterinarian. The appearance of several larval insects led the veterinarian to report the dog was dead several days. The animal's eyes were "markedly sunken".
The cats, a brown mixed breed and a grey and brown tiger cat were emaciated and infested with fleas when they were brought to W. Bradley Davis, M.D. for treatment. The tiger cat gained about two pounds but, two days later, the brown cat died from neurological and systemic complications due to severe starvation.
Police also found 17 firearms inside the house. The weapons were also covered in feces, police said. They were later turned over to Charles Romanczak.
When Angela Bond, the town's animal control officer, learned on Jan. 9 that dogs were left at the residence, she went to the house to take a look. Three dogs, desperate for help, barked and jumped up against the windows. She noted the property was littered with debris, six rusted vehicles, and bags of trash, which dotted the porch.
Case UpdatesA Bethlehem couple facing animal cruelty charges after officials found a dead dog and five other pets suffering from starvation in their abandoned home asked a judge to consider a special probation program as a penalty instead of jail.
Charles Romanczak and Natalie Romanczak, 65, of 39 Weekeepeemee Road, were arrested March 1 by state police and charged with six counts of cruelty to animals. They filed applications at Bantam Superior Court Thursday requesting their cases be resolved with the accelerated rehabilitation program.
The accelerated rehabilitation program is available for first-time offenders and, if granted, will allow for the charges to be removed from the couple's records if they are not arrested again during the two-year program.
A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17 in the cases.
In the Weekeepeemee Road home, state animal control authorities discovered the carcass of a male Rottweiler in the living room on the top of a mound of filthy garbage, they reported in arrest warrants for the Romanczaks. The dog weighed 55 pounds, half of what a healthy male dog of that breed weighs, according to a necropsy conducted by a veterinarian. The animal's eyes were "markedly sunken" and several larval insects were found in the dog's fur.
State troopers and state animal control authorities had to use breathing apparatus and protective hazardous waste suits during their 6-hour search for any animals still alive inside the home filled with feces and garbage. They found two cats and three dogs dying from starvation in the house. Mounds of fecal matter, several inches thick, covered every inch of the floor of the residence, according to the warrant. | Source: Register-Citizen - Sept 19, 2008
Update posted on Sep 20, 2008 - 4:20AM |
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