CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #17281 Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Two 13-week-old kittens neglected
Washington, DC (US)Incident Date: Friday, Sep 17, 2010
County: District of Columbia
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Howard Burstein
68 year old Howard Burstein plead guilty and was convicted of animal cruelty on November 19, 2010.
He was arrested Friday, September 17, 2010 after neglecting two 13 week old kittens. One kitten died from an untreated respiratory illness, the other kitten, named Frankie, suffered the same condition, but she survived after the Washington Humane Society rescued her back in July and got her the medical care she desperately needed.
Mr. Burstein received a year of supervised probation, 40 hours of community service and he is banned from owning any domestic animals during his probation period. If he violate his probation he will be jailed for 30 days.
Mr. Burstein lived with nearly two dozen cats in an apartment on the 1300 block of Peabody Street, NW and was evicted in July because he had too many animals. This type of cruelty is often a psychological disorder called "hoarding". The symptoms include the owner's inability to recognize the declining health and sanitation issues found in their homes.
Sadly, many of the cats from Mr. Burstein's home were in such poor health that they could not be saved. Many had severe respiratory problems and some had serious injuries that had gone untreated for some time. WHS was able to save about half of the cats, who have been adopted into loving homes or sent to caring rescues.
Little Frankie had a severe respiratory infection and was in the hospital for more than two weeks, but she is now healthy, happy and has been adopted. References |
