 Rabbits neglected
Valley Falls, RI (US)Date: Aug 15, 2003
County: Providence
Local Map: available
Disposition: Alleged
Abuser names unreleased
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An unidentified Valley Falls resident will face animal cruelty and other charges after police investigated complaints of stench, trash, rodents and abandoned vehicles at a home on Geldard Street.
By Friday afternoon, police could not immediately identify who would be charged at the 2 Geldard St. home, according to Sgt. Paul Brown. It was Brown who first discovered a pair of malnourished baby rabbits left in a cage outside the home without food, water or protection from the sun in the approximately 90-degree weather.
An adult rabbit was also found in similar condition in another cage nearby, as well as the corpse of a decaying rabbit in another.
In front of the home, police also found a legally registered van filled with trash, as well as two unregistered vehicles on the Geldard Street property. Brown said there was evidence of skunks and rats at the property, calling conditions there "deplorable."
Police Chief Anthony Silva said he received multiple calls from neighbors, including one complaint that rats allegedly could be seen on the property at night.
Brown was ordered to the home about 1 p.m. Friday to serve notice of local ordinance violations for unregistered vehicles on the property. He said there was so much trash, garbage and debris on the premises he had a difficult time making his way to the home.
"I tried to get to the front door, but there was so much trash I couldn�t make it and I couldn�t get to the back door either," he said.
Brown said he got no response when he knocked on a window, but heard what he believed were the sounds of birds inside the home.
Police notified town animal control, Valley Falls Fire Department, and the building official.
Two animal control officers took the rabbits and a dog found wandering on the property, which appeared well fed but filthy, into their custody, Brown said.
Apparently fire officials determined material among the garbage strewn around the yard and inside the van were combustible and the vehicle was ordered towed from the area. Fire code violations from fire officials are also pending, Brown said.
Animal control officials are considering filing charges pending the identification of the animals� owners.
Brown said police were working on exactly who lived in the residence and who owned the property. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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