Animal Abuse: Hoarding - nearly two dozen dogs seized from filth - Ramapo, NY

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Case ID: 14989

Classification: Hoarding

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Attorneys/Judges

Defense(s):	F. Hollis Griffin
Judge(s):	Philip Schnelwar

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Hoarding - nearly two dozen dogs seized from filth
Ramapo, NY (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Dec 10, 2008
County: Rockland

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Karol O'Connell

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Dozens of animals were rescued from a house in Rockland County Wednesday. Authorities say they were filthy, living in their own waste. The animals are now at a shelter in Pomona.

The animals were finally freed from their foul cages Wednesday afternoon. Nearly two dozen dogs were covered in waste that was matted to their fur.

Police were called to the house on Spook Rock Road by someone working outside of the property who was overcome by the stench.

Inside, police and animal control agents found a few dogs on the first level, but the majority were in the basement, in cages. The animals appear to be well fed, but had not been cleaned, certainly not for months, possibly years.

Police say the owner of the house told them she used to show the dogs, most of which are Shetland sheepdogs. The 73-year old woman, who lives alone, was taken for psychiatric evaluation.

Animal control officers say it's easy for people who breed or collect dogs to get in over their heads.

Case Updates

A village judge said today that both a woman previously accused of animal abuse and an animal advocacy group violated his orders by returning a dog to its owner without permission.

Village Justice Philip Schnelwar also said that misdemeanor criminal contempt charges were being filed against Karol O'Connell in connection with the return of a Shetland sheepdog to her home July 30.

The dog, Colt, was among 23 animals, mostly Shelties, that were removed from feces-filled cages in O'Connell's home in December 2008.

O'Connell, a 75-year-old former dog breeder, was charged in January 2009 with two counts of animal cruelty, but pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct .

Schnelwar ruled in March that O'Connell could have one of the dogs �" Grayson �" back immediately and that a second dog �" Colt �" would be returned if she showed that she could adequately care for the animals.

The couple caring for Colt in their New Jersey home said they were told by an officer of the Hudson Valley Humane Society late last month that a court order had been issued and they had to return the dog to O'Connell the next day.

The couple complied and less than a day later, the dog ran from O'Connell's Spook Rock Road home. The 5-year-old male Sheltie was hit by a car and suffered serious injuries.

Schnelwar said during a court hearing that he never issued an order to return the dog to O'Connell.

"To be clear, the court authorized the defendant to have only one dog," Schnelwar said. "This court never gave the defendant approval to have a second dog."

O'Connell arrived at the court slightly late. She giggled as she walked into the building, but said little during the proceedings.

The judge said that as a condition of O'Connell getting the first dog back, he was supposed to get regular reports on the animal's condition from Cathy McGrath, the animal control officer for the town of Ramapo.

Schnelwar said he tried repeatedly to get those reports from McGrath, but never got one until after Colt was hit by the car.

That report noted that O'Connell's house still had a strong odor, but was not filled with dog feces as it was when the animals were originally removed.

McGrath was in court, but declined to comment.

The judge also criticized the Hudson Valley Humane Society for its role in returning the dog to O'Connell.

"The Humane Society should not be seen as acting in concert to violate an order of this court," he said.

No one from the organization was at the court hearing.

The judge ordered O'Connell back to court at 6 p.m. Aug. 31, when she will also be arraigned on the criminal contempt charge.

Source: LoHud.com - Aug 16, 2010
Update posted on Aug 25, 2010 - 5:27PM

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Karol O'Connell is due in village court at 5 p.m. today where she's to decide whether to plead guilty to animal cruelty or go to trial.

Ramapo police charged O'Connell, 74, with two counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty on Jan. 14, after nearly two dozen dogs were removed from her home, many of them in feces-filled crates.

Agents of the Hudson Valley Humane Society participated in the Dec. 10, 2008, seizure of the animals from O'Connell's 76 Spook Rock Road home, but did not charge O'Connell.

Most of the animals were shetland sheepdogs.

Source: LoHud - June 30, 2009
Update posted on Jun 30, 2009 - 4:14PM

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A local woman accused of harboring 23 dogs, many locked in feces-filled crates, could see her case disposed of as soon as next month.

A village justice tonight told Karol O'Connell and her lawyer, F. Hollis Griffin, that they must work with the district attorney's office to come up with a plea bargain, or else prepare for a pre-trial hearing on June 30.

Ramapo police charged O'Connell, 74, with two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty on Jan. 14.

Acting on a tip from a furnace repairman, police and agents from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals went to her Spook Rock Road home in December. There they found the dogs, most of them confined throughout the house in cages.

Village Justice Philip Schnelwar has forbidden O'Connell to possess any animals until the resolution of the case.

Source: LoHud.Com May 26, 2009
Update posted on Jun 30, 2009 - 4:13PM

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References

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Hoarding - nearly two dozen dogs seized from filthRamapo, NY (US)

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Hoarding - nearly two dozen dogs seized from filth
Ramapo, NY (US)