Hoarding - 56 cats seized - Chester, VA

Wednesday, Oct 1, 2008

A Chesterfield judge today [Oct 8, 2009] likened conditions in a cat-filled home to those experienced by prisoners at German concentration camps and said pictures of the scene revolted him more than any images he has seen during many years on the bench -- including those of dead children and homicide victims.

General District Judge Robert D. Laney made his comments in an hourlong hearing during which he ordered Patty Wheeler, 52, to serve a year in jail on multiple animal cruelty convictions and a destruction of property charge.

Wheeler, of the 4500 block of Treely Road, kept more than 50 cats in her home, 33 of which had to be euthanized because of their emaciated condition.

Defense lawyer John Rockecharlie argued that Wheeler's compassion for stray and displaced animals overwhelmed her ability to care for them. Eventually, he said, it forced her from her home and into her car, where she slept in a sleeping bag.

Rockecharlie said that he will appeal the convictions to circuit court,.

References

• Richmond Times-Dispatch - Oct 8, 2009 WTOP - Oct 8, 2009 Chesterfield Observer - Oct 14, 2009

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