Neglect alleged, two cats dead in freezer
Plymouth, MA (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Mar 18, 2009
County: Plymouth
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Heidi Kristine Erickson
Beacon Hill's notorious cat lady was in the spotlight again yesterday after an angry confrontation with cops who say they found at least two dead felines in her freezer following a brief standoff at her Plymouth home.
Police removed her Great Dane and three Persian cats after an allegation of animal abuse against Heidi Erickson, who was convicted of animal cruelty in 2005 and kept dead cats in her freezer when she lived on Beacon Hill.
Erickson, 48, who had a housing-related court hearing yesterday, was distraught and highly emotional when she returned home over the lunch hour to find an officer in front of her house.
"There isn't any abuse. You have no probable cause to go in and take my animals," Erickson could be heard yelling at a police officer. At the time, she was on the phone with a Herald reporter. Police armed with a search warrant later removed the animals. It was unclear last yesterday where they were taken.
Erickson told the Herald she has not abused her animals.
Plymouth Police Capt. John Rogers said police searched Erickson's Lothrop Street apartment Tuesday and found two dead cats in her freezer. At the time, police were aiding the Plymouth Board of Health in investigating odors coming from her home. Rogers said police removed the pets as part of an animal abuse investigation. He refused to provide any information about the alleged complaint.
"We are investigating further into animal neglect issues," he said.
Erickson said police seized her Great Dane and three Persian cats. She said she relies on the animals for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, which she claims is linked to her Beacon Hill battle.
In 2003, more than 40 Persians that Erickson wanted to clone were seized from her Watertown apartment. In 2005, she was convicted of animal cruelty for her treatment of pets in her Beacon Hill apartment.
But the Supreme Judicial Court handed Erickson a bizarre victory, when it ruled in 2005 that Erickson could keep dead animal carcasses as long as she didn't violate health codes.
Her landlord is in the process of trying to evict her because of her pets, she said. An attorney for Erickson's landlord could not be reached. References« MA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Plymouth County, MA
|
