Hoarding - 71 cats found dead, 53 more seized
Springfield, OH (US)Incident Date: Friday, Sep 12, 2008
County: Jefferson
Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 15 files available
Defendants/Suspects:
» Loyce Ogden, `
» Craig Hunt
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A home where county officials found 71 dead cats has been declared unfit for living.
The Clark County Combined Health District condemned the home Friday, Sept. 12 -- a day after the discovery that included 53 live cats at 2425 Beatrice St.
"I'm ordering it vacated because I've found it to be dangerous to life and health," Health Commissioner Charles Patterson said Friday. "It must remain vacant until I give written permission to re-enter."
The home had animal feces all over, and a nonworking toilet and plumbing.
Resident and cat owner Loyce Ogden, 56, pleaded not guilty to theft and failure to obey health department officials Friday.
She is charged with stealing animal traps from a neighbor's property, according to a police report.
She may face additional charges of animal cruelty, said Ed Sisler, Clark County Humane Society director.
Sisler said the Humane Society, already facing a financial crisis, is asking the community for contributions specifically for the medical treatment of the living cats taken from the home.
Humane society officials were at the house Thursday morning on a follow-up visit.
More than 60 dead cats were found wrapped in newspapers and stuffed in trash bags in the garage Thursday. Four others were found dead under a bed inside the home.
Case UpdatesA Springfield couple who had more than 70 dead cats in their Beatrice Street home were found guilty of animal cruelty on Monday, Nov. 24.
Clark County Municipal Court Judge Denise Moody found Loyce Ogden and Craig Hunt each guilty of five counts of cruelty to a companion animal. The couple pleaded no contest to the charges. Moody ordered a pre-sentence investigation with a Jan. 12 sentencing date.
On Sept. 11, Clark County officials found the couple and 124 cats in unsanitary conditions, including at least 71 animals dead in their home at 2425 Beatrice St.
Clark County Humane Society officials found dead cats wrapped in newspaper and sealed in garbage bags in the garage. Four of the dead cats were found under a bed and 67 in the garage. One dead kitten was found under a pillow.
"This is the first (case) I've been to where the people were actually sleeping with dead carcasses," said Ed Sisler, Clark County humane society director. After the live cats were removed, Sisler was left with the task of going through 39 garbage bags retrieving nearly 70 cats in various stages of decomposition.
"It's an experience I will long remember and care never to repeat," he said.
The maximum sentence the couple could receive is 90 days in jail and $750 fine for each count, Moody said of the second-degree misdemeanor charges. | Source: Springfield News-Sun - Nov 24, 2008
Update posted on Nov 24, 2008 - 9:02PM |
Animal cruelty charges were filed against a Springfield couple who had more than 100 cats inside their home. Loyce Ogden and her live-in boyfriend, Craig Hunt, are each facing five counts of animal cruelty.
Police said 71 of the cats in their home were found dead in mid-September.
Prosecutors said they want Ogden to be banned from owning cats ever again. | Source: WHIO-TV - Oct 3, 2008
Update posted on Oct 4, 2008 - 11:02PM |
References« OH State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Jefferson County, OH
|
