Four pets abandoned in home, one frozen to death
Sandown, NH (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Jan 25, 2011
County: Rockingham

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Lida Levesque

A woman faces animal cruelty charges after police said she neglected her four pets for at least a couple of weeks, resulting in a hamster freezing to death.

Lida Levesque, 35, of 3 South Landing, was arrested on four counts of animal cruelty at a home in Methuen, where she has been living, according to Sgt. Aurie Roy of the Sandown Police Department.

"(The pets) were just abandoned in a house," Roy said.

Police arrested Levesque on Friday after finding two dogs, a cat and the hamster in her Sandown home on Jan. 25, Roy said.

Roy said she could not comment further because it is an ongoing case. A police affidavit filed yesterday in Derry District Court said Sandown police Sgt. Scott Wood found a dead hamster in its cage and that the animal appeared to have frozen to death.

Wood, responding to a call from a neighbor, said in the affidavit he saw two dogs in the front window that appeared to be shaking because of the cold. One of the dogs, a boxer, appeared to be extremely thin and its ribs were showing, he said.

Wood said he didn't see any food or water near the boxer or the second dog, a puggle. The neighbor told police she hadn't seen anyone at the home for at least two weeks.

Wood, Animal Control Officer Claire Kontos and a second police officer found at least 8 to 10 inches of snow in the driveway and there were no footprints to indicate someone had been at the home in a while, the sergeant said.

The Sandown Fire Department was called to help police enter to the house.

After they entered, Wood said it appeared to be colder inside the residence than outside, where it was 19 degrees.

In the basement, they found a cat that appeared to be extremely hungry, and had no food or water, Wood said. The dogs and cat were taken to the nearby Doberman Rescue League. No one from the rescue league could be reached for comment yesterday.

Levesque, who could not be reached for comment, is scheduled to appear in Derry District Court on Feb. 16, Roy said.

The four counts are class A misdemeanors, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine for each count.

References

• « Back to Search Results
  « NH State Animal Cruelty Map
  « More cases in Rockingham County, NH

  Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.
  
  For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.