Case Snapshot
Case ID: 18028
Classification: Hoarding
Animal: cat
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Attorneys/Judges
Prosecutor(s): Robert Merhige III
Defense(s): Grier Ferguson


For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.



Thursday, May 12, 2011

County: Suffolk City

Disposition: Dismissed

Person of Interest: Elizabeth Ann Epps

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

A 79-year-old woman was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after 13 cats were seized from her home last month.

Police arrested Elizabeth Ann Epps, of the 400 block of Kings Fork Road, on Friday after animal control officers went to her home May 12 and found animals in dirty cages without water, said spokeswoman Debbie George on Monday.

Epps is a member of the Suffolk Humane Society's Board of Directors who founded the former Suffolk SPCA, which is no longer in existence, said Kay Hurley, director of community outreach for the humane society.

The cats were seized because they were living in kennels and because of the conditions, George said. Since the cats were taken by animal control, 10 have been euthanized because they were feral, one was adopted, and two are up for adoption at the Suffolk Animal Shelter, George said. Epps also owns two dogs, two male peacocks and five females, geese and chickens, but they were not taken,George said.

Michael Wilkinson says he turned his wife in because he believes she was taking on too much, caring for more than a dozen animals.

People just kept dropping off animals, he said.

Wilkinson told 13News his wife loves animals and means well.

"What I did for her was a wake up call. It was hard, but it had to be done," he said, noting that he moved across the street when bugs became a problem in their home.

"She won't stop taking in animals until her heart stops beating," he added.

Epps was charged with five counts of failure to provide adequate care; five counts of animal cruelty; one count of keeping a dog over six months without a city license and one count of keeping a dog four months without a rabies vaccination, George said.

"She has a long history of caring for animals, so I don't know what happened," Hurley said.

"We're very concerned about the nature of the charges," she said. "We're monitoring it, and we're going to make sure we make the decisions that are appropriate. The main thing for us is to help companion animals in our community."

Anyone interested in adopting an animal can call the Suffolk Animal Control Bureau at (757) 514-7855.

The Humane Society issued this written statement today:

"The Suffolk Humane Society has learned that this morning a member of the Board of Directors has been charged with several cases of failing to provide proper care for her pets. These are very serious charges and are of the concern to this organization.

This board member was one of the founders and a board member of the original Suffolk SPCA in the early 1990's. She became a member of Suffolk Humane when that defunct organization donated three acres of land on Route 460 to Suffolk Humane in 2008. We are respectful of this member's history of animal care in our city, but we are concerned about the serious nature of these charges.

We'd like to assure the public that this member does not foster for our organization or have direct supervision of any of the animals that we assist. We feel certain that this case will be handled appropriately through the court system. We will also monitor internally and provide all information to the Board of Suffolk Humane so that they can determine the next steps with regards to any action within our organization."


Case Updates

Charges have been withdrawn against a longtime animal-rights advocate accused of animal cruelty after more than a dozen cats were seized from her home in May.

A special prosecutor agreed Thursday not to pursue charges against Elizabeth Ann Epps. The 80-year-old woman is on the Suffolk Humane Society's board of directors and was a founding member of the Suffolk Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is no longer operating.

Epps faced five counts of failure to provide adequate care; five counts of animal cruelty; one count of keeping a dog over six months without a city license and one count of keeping a dog four months without a rabies vaccination.

In a letter to the Suffolk Police Department, Special Prosecutor Robert Merhige III wrote that charges were "properly brought" against Epps. Merhige said he was declining to prosecute her for several reasons, including her 30-plus years rescuing and caring for animals.

Epps was so well known for her rescue efforts, Merhige said, that people would abandon unwanted cats on her doorstep.

"It appears that in this case, Mrs. Epps, who is elderly, simply became overwhelmed by the number of animals, principally cats, she was attempting to care for," he wrote.

Merhige noted that Epps was no longer tending to abandoned cats. Also, he said, an animal control officer who visited her property recently reported that all "deficiencies" had been corrected.

Animal control officers initially went to Epps' home in the 400 block of Kings Fork Road on May 12 after receiving a complaint, a police spokeswoman said at the time. They found animals in dirty cages without water.

Ten of the 13 cats seized from the home had to be euthanized because they were feral; one was adopted, the police spokeswoman said. Two others were Epps' personal pets, so they were returned to her, attorney Grier Ferguson said.

Epps was in the hospital when animal control officers came to her home in May, Ferguson said, but she had arranged for a friend to stop by to care for the animals.

He said the charges devastated Epps. She'd spent decades working to find homes for abandoned animals because she couldn't bear to see them euthanized.

"She's loved in the community," Ferguson said. "She's known as Suffolk's ultimate animal lover."

Kay Hurley, director of community outreach for the Humane Society, said Friday that Epps has been on a leave of absence from the board since her June arrest. She was unsure whether Epps would return to the board.

"I'm glad things are resolved," Hurley said.
Source: hamptonroads.com - Dec 17, 2011
Update posted on Dec 16, 2011 - 9:54PM 

References

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