Pet store neglect - 18 counts of animal cruelty - Radford, VA

Wednesday, Jul 23, 2003

County: Radford City

Disposition: Convicted

Defendants/Suspects:
» Alexander M. Nelson
» Stephen R. Sorrow

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Police have charged two pet shop operators with 18 counts of animal cruelty. After receiving complaints from customers, police made a surprise visit to Classy Critters Pet Center on Wednesday. Police said the store operators kept too many animals -- including snakes, birds, rabbits and mice -- in each cage and did not clean the cages properly.

Officers also found drug paraphernalia and what they believed to be marijuana sitting out in the open, according to a search warrant affidavit filed Thursday in Radford Circuit Court.

The pet shop owner, Alexander M. Nelson, 40, is charged with five misdemeanor counts of failure of a pet shop to provide adequate care for an animal.

Employee Stephen R. Sorrow, 48, is also charged with seven counts of failure of a pet shop to provide adequate care for an animal. He is charged with another six counts of failure of an owner to provide adequate care of an animal.

Case Updates

Alexander M. Nelson, the owner of Classy Critters Pet Center at 1031 E. Main St., and employee Stephen R. Sorrow were ordered convicted in Radford General District Court of keeping too many animals - including snakes, birds, rabbits and mice - in the store's cages and failing to adequately clean those cages. All charges are misdemeanors. District Judge John Quigley found Sorrow, 48, who listed the pet store as his address, guilty of seven counts of failure of a pet shop to provide adequate care for an animal and another six counts of failure of an owner to provide adequate care of an animal. Sorrow was fined $650. The judge also found Nelson, 40, of Roanoke guilty of five counts of failure of a pet shop to provide adequate care for an animal and possession of marijuana. Nelson was fined $250 for the cruelty charges and had his driver's license suspended for six months for the drug charge.

Update posted on Sep 11, 2003 - 5:13PM

References

• PilotOnline
• The New River Current

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