Attorneys/Judges
| Defense(s): | Jennifer B. Nowak | | Judge(s): | Arthur C. Hadden, Kevin McMahon |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #17440 Rating: 2.0 out of 5
5 neglected dogs seized from prior offender
Mystic, CT (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Feb 17, 2011
County: New London
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Linda Snow
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
The Mystic woman charged with animal cruelty had been living under a false name and previously had been arrested for operating a puppy mill in Massachusetts, according to the Groton Town Police report filed in New London Superior Court.
Linda Snow, 59, who police said was living under the name Mary Howard, was charged Thursday with criminal impersonation, cruelty to animals and interfering with police.
Police found five dogs in her home at 59 Oslo St. suffering from various stages of neglect.
"They had matted and knotted hair which had pieces of dog feces entangled in it," the police report said. "They were kept in crates and rooms that reeked of foul animal waste. No water or food was set for the dogs."
The police report said Snow had a false Connecticut driver's license and car registration.
She has eight arrest warrants for violation of probation, according to the report. She was arrested for animal cruelty for operating a puppy mill in Massachusetts, and part of her probation was she was not to leave the state or sell any dogs, the report said.
Police said they discovered the dogs after receiving a call about a man who was believed to be Snow's husband.
The report gave this account of how they discovered the dogs:
In January, Snow brought a man to the Old Mystic Fire Department for medical help. She identified herself as Mary Howard and said the man was her husband, Michael Howard. He was taken to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, and a Groton Town Police officer brought Snow to the hospital to be with her husband.
Then the report said this happened: About a month later, police received a call from a social worker at the hospital, saying Michael Howard was in a vegetative state and his wife had not been back to see him. They were trying to reach her, the report said.
The report said police then discovered the address Snow had provided "35 Oslo St. - didn't exist, and saw the van registered to Mary Howard in another driveway instead" 59 Oslo Street.
Police said they also interviewed the property owner, who said he and his ex-wife were renting the house Mary and Michael Howard. The property owner said the couple paid $1,850 a month in rent, and usually paid in cash.
The report said police then went to the hospital, fingerprinted Michael Howard, ran the prints at the FBI, and identified him as Mark Zimmerman, who has a criminal history from Florida, Texas and Massachusetts.
"During Zimmerman's arrest in Massachusetts, a co-defendant was a woman named Linda Snow," the police report said. Police found that the photo on the driver's license Snow was using matched her mug shot from Massachusetts, the report said. Groton police contacted a detective in Stoughton, Mass., who provided the photos that matched.
Groton police then went to the house and found the dogs.
"…The search team was met with the overpowering odor of dog urine and feces," the report said. The dogs were taken to a veterinary clinic for evaluation and cleaning.
Bond was arraigned in New London Superior Court Friday and ordered held on a $50,000 bond. Her case was continued until Feb. 23. She did not enter a plea.
Town Police are continuing to investigate, and are asking for the public's help. They are looking for anyone who bought a dog from Mary Howard, Linda Snow, Michael Howard or Mark Zimmerman, or from the the website,
Anyone who purchased a dog from one of these websites or individuals is asked to call the Groton Town Police at 860-441-6712 or Animal Control at 860-441-6709.
Case UpdatesGloria Marriott, the 63-year-old woman who operated
Snow pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in Massachusetts after police and animal rescue workers raided a house in Randolph in 2008, and found more than 100 sick puppies and older dogs on the property, according to the Patriot Ledger.
Nowack says Marriott will face addition prison time in Massachusetts, but even that may not be the end of it.
Marriott - AKA Linda Snow, AKA Mary Howard - may also be subject to federal charges because she misrepresented who she was, using false names in both Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Nowack said Marriott, a Canadian national who has been living in the United States illegally for years, could face up to five years in prison if the feds decide to charge her. | Source: stoughton.patch.com - Jul 18, 2011
Update posted on Jul 30, 2011 - 10:56PM |
First she was Mary Howard.
Then she was Linda Snow.
And now
Marriott came to the attention of Groton Town Police after they went to a home in Oslo Street in Mystic to find a woman named Mary Howard who had dropped off her non-responsive man, whom she said was her husband, at a local firehouse and never returned to the hospital to visit. In the home, they discovered five dogs with matted fur and amid animal waste, without food and water.
Through fingerprints, they identified the "husband," who was actually a boyfriend, as Mark J. Zimmerman, who had been arrested in an animal cruelty case in Massachusetts along with a 59-year-old Linda Snow. Police learned the real Linda Snow had died years ago and that Marriott had assumed her identity. | Source: theday.com - Apr 1, 2011
Update posted on Apr 1, 2011 - 4:16PM |
The woman accused of running a puppy mill in Groton is being held on a high bond at the Niantic women's prison because she won't reveal her true identity.
She is listed as 59-year-old Linda Snow or Mary Howard on official documents, but a police investigation revealed that both of those are assumed identities, according to detective Lt. John W. Varone of the Groton Town Police Department. Police believe the woman assumed the identity of Linda Snow, who had died years ago in Massachusetts.
Varone said the police investigation has revealed the woman may be from Canada.
"We are actively pursuing it, and we have leads that are taking us north of the border," said detective Lt. John W. Varone.
Police charged her last month with five counts of cruelty to animals, in addition to criminal impersonation and interfering with a police officer, after they discovered five dogs with matted fur and amid animal waste, without food and water at her house at 59 Oslo St. in Mystic.
When the police notified the court that her identify was still unknown, she was asked in open court to identify herself.
"She wouldn't disclose on the record what her true identity is," said her attorney, public defender Jennifer B. Nowak. A judge raised her bond from $50,000 to $250,000.
The mystery was not resolved when the woman made a brief appearance in court on Wednesday, and her case was continued to March 28.
"I'm not going to comment," Nowak said when asked if she knows the true identity of her client. | Source: theday.com - Mar 17, 2011
Update posted on Mar 18, 2011 - 10:52PM |
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