Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | Alexis C. Falvello | | Defense(s): | Thomas S. Cometa | | Judge(s): | Joseph Zola |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #18433 Rating: 1.0 out of 5
Hoarding - at least 50 cats seized
Hazleton, PA (US)Incident Date: Friday, Aug 5, 2011
County: Luzerne
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Aileen Kulpon
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Authorities on Friday withdrew at least 50 cats from an abandoned Hazleton home that reeked of the cats' waste, as it did five years ago when even more cats dwelled there.
Aileen Kulpon, who used to live in the home at 974 W. Fourth St., told police on Wednesday that she still kept cats there, after they found 21 cats in a hotel room that she rented in Sugarloaf Township.
Hazleton's health and code officers condemned the house on Thursday.
On Friday, authorities obtained a warrant to search the house.
Before anyone entered on Friday afternoon, a city firefighter climbed a ladder to open second-floor windows and turned on an exhaust fan.
The odor flowing out made one neighbor place her hand over her mouth. A man put menthol rub beneath his nose. A woman compared the smell to circus vehicles.
Officers of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne County donned plastic coveralls, booties and masks to guard against fleas before they went inside.
For more than 90 minutes, they searched the home for cats.
"They are under the stove, between the mattresses," Cary Moran of the SPCA said while pausing from the search.
On Wednesday at the Comfort Inn, where Kulpon surrendered 21 cats to the SPCA, she said she took in stray and sick cats. She said she tried to establish an organization called Opt to Adopt, but the attempt overwhelmed her.
Moran said charges of cruelty to animals probably will be filed against Kulpon, who wasn't at the house on Friday.
"Until she is held responsible, it's not going to help the community or the SPCA," Moran said.
Hazleton Health Officer Mark Thompson said he would file citations for the unsanitary condition of the house.
"You almost need a gas mask to go inside," said Thompson, who mentioned overflowing litter boxes and feces that were on the floor.
He also planned to file a citation for failing to register the cats. A Hazleton ordinance requires owners of four or more pets to register them "to prevent something like this from happening," Thompson said.
Hazleton Mayor Joseph Yannuzzi said Kulpon's love of animals went out of control, and he asked anyone who knows where Kulpon is to contact police.
"She needs help," Yannuzzi said.
Five years ago, authorities pulled 56 cats from the house on West Fourth Street when Kulpon lived there. Kulpon moved from Hazleton to McAdoo, where authorities razed her house in 2009 after finding it crawling with 28 cats.
Although no one lived in her former house in Hazleton recently, neighbors believe Kulpon went in the back door regularly to take care of the cats.
Rich Wech, the city's code enforcement officer, said he was told the electricity was turned off inside the house and that the sewer bills were in default. Water can't be shut off to the home because it is connected to three others in a row on West Fourth Street at Boundary Street.
A neighbor who has lived in the row of homes for 20 years, Linda Correll, watched from her porch as humane officers removed cats.
"I went through this five to six years ago. I think this is terrible," Correll said. "To me, it's not love of animals to have so many. How could you care for them?"
She feared that many of the cats will have to be destroyed.
Moran said the SPCA will take the cats to its shelter in Wilkes-Barre, evaluate them and decide which can be adopted and which have to be euthanized.
Case UpdatesA woman found with five dozen cats, most of which were ill and living in filthy conditions in her Hazleton home, pleaded guilty to 48 counts of animal abuse Thursday.
Magisterial District Judge Joseph Zola sentenced Aileen Kulpon, 48, of Carbondale to 180 days in prison. However, that prison sentence is suspended and Kulpon can avoid jail, if while on five years probation, she continues to follow guidelines set by the court, Zola said in his courtroom.
Kulpon must not own another pet, must continue with counseling until her probation expires or she is released by her doctor, and must be subject to random checks by Luzerne County probation officers at her home and any other place she stays.
She also must pay $2,393.31 in restitution to the Luzerne County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and $199.55 in court costs.
Any violation of probation, Zola said, would result in Kulpon immediately being sent to prison.
Kulpon must also keep her address up to date with the probation office.
The remaining charges filed against her by the SPCA - 12 counts of animal cruelty - were withdrawn by the commonwealth.
Hazleton Health Officer Mark Thompson also filed four citations against Kulpon. Two of them - failure to register pets and failure to provide proof of vaccination - were withdrawn by the city in court Thursday. Thompson said Kulpon was ordered to pay the maximum fine of $300 on each of the other two citations - declaration of a nuisance and interior of structure not maintained. She also must pay court costs involved with the citations.
Attorney Thomas S. Cometa, who represented Kulpon, said the outcome was fair when taking into account the circumstances.
Kulpon refused comment, but Cometa said she loves animals and thought she was helping them by taking in strays. Unfortunately, he said, Kulpon became overwhelmed by the number of cats and as a result the SPCA and law enforcement became involved.
Cometa said he believes Kulpon had "good intentions" for the felines and did take them for veterinary care.
Humane Officer Wayne Harvey also believed justice was served. He said he was satisfied also that the SPCA was awarded restitution to cover its costs associated with the hoarding case.
Harvey said he hopes Kulpon complies with the conditions of her probation and noted that if she violates them, she will face severe punishment in prison.
Assistant District Attorney Alexis C. Falvello prosecuted the case for the commonwealth.
Charges were filed against Kulpon after officials responded to odor complaints from neighbors of a house she owned at 974 W. Fourth St., Hazleton. The officials found a stench of urine and 60 cats living inside amid filthy conditions.
The Luzerne County District Attorney's Office previously said not all the cats had access to water and some were underweight, dehydrated or pregnant. Sixteen of the cats found inside tested positive for feline leukemia, two tested positive for FIV immunodeficiency, and all were treated for tapeworms due to feces in the home, according to authorities.
Some of the felines' fur was matted with fecal matter, the DA's office said, citing an affidavit of probable cause. Most of the cats also had ear mites and fleas, and about two-thirds of the cats needed antibiotics to treat infections.
Kulpon was charged in a prior case involving animals and was sentenced to probation about five years ago when officials responded to the same home for reports of a foul stench. The home was condemned at that time after 56 cats were found inside living in filthy conditions.
Kulpon later moved to Snyder Avenue in Kline Township, where in 2009 officials had to demolish her home after 28 cats were found in similar unsanitary conditions.
And just prior to the July case, 21 cats were seized from a hotel room Kulpon rented in Sugarloaf Township. She was not charged in that incident. | Source: standardspeaker.com - Nov 18, 2011
Update posted on Nov 18, 2011 - 9:57AM |
A Swoyersville woman suspected of hoarding 60 cats in her abandoned Hazleton home faces numerous animal cruelty charges.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne County filed 60 counts of the third-degree misdemeanor via summons Aug. 12 against 48-year-old Aileen Kulpon. Hazleton Health Officer Mark F. Thompson also filed charges against Kulpon on Aug. 12, including citations of nuisance, failure to provide proof of rabies vaccination, failure to register pets and failure to maintain the home's interior.
Thompson said both charges from Hazleton and the SPCA are related to an investigation into Kulpon's property at 974 W. Fourth St.
Neighbors complained of terrible odors coming from Kulpon's Hazleton home, which spurred the investigation and the condemnation of the house in July, Thompson said.
Luzerne County Assistant District Attorney Alexis Falvello said Monday not all of the cats had access to water, and some were underweight, dehydrated or pregnant. The stench of feces and urine so strong, police utilized full-bodied uniforms to enter the home and the building was ventilated, she said.
Falvello said 16 of the cats tested positive for feline leukemia, two tested positive for FIV immunodeficiency - all of them were treated for tape worms due to feces in the home - and some of which was matted in their coats. Most of the cats also had ear mites and fleas. She said about two-thirds of the cats needed antibiotics to treat upper respiratory, ear, eye and skin infections.
Dr. Harinder Singh of Hazleton Veterinary Hospital did not examine the cats but explained FIV is much like HIV in human beings, causing the same symptoms by stressing the immune system. He said feline leukemia is a viral disease that can cause tumors or blood conditions. Like FIV, feline leukemia is very contagious and can be spread through bites and saliva, Singh said Monday. Both diseases can be lethal.
Falvello was unsure if any of the cats were euthanized, though all were treated by a veterinarian. Each feline's medical condition was described in an affidavit of probable cause, she said.
Thompson explained some of the citations against Kulpon, noting pets must be registered with the city health code office if there are more than four in a household. He said there was no proof that any of the felines had rabies shots.
Thompson said he responded to Kulpon's same home about five years ago for a similar problem. In that case, Kulpon was required to have the home cleaned after the city removed 56 cats.
According to a previously published in the Standard-Speaker on July 7, authorities found Kulpon h
oarding 21 cats in a motel room she rented in Sugarloaf Township. When Kulpon surrendered those cats to the SPCA, she told authorities there were more at the home in Hazleton, and that she took in stray and sick cats and tried to establish an adoption organization but was overwhelmed.
A previous home of Kulpon's in McAdoo was torn down in 2009 after authorities found 28 cats living inside and condemned it.
An arraignment and preliminary hearing on the animal cruelty charges and a summary trial on the citations issued by Hazleton is scheduled for Sept. 20 at 9:15 a.m. before Magisterial District Judge Joseph Zola.
Sugarloaf Township police said they would not file charges against Kulpon for the hotel-boarded cats, but said the investigation was in the hands of the SPCA. The SPCA was not available for comment on the case Monday. | Source: standardspeaker.com - Aug 16, 2011
Update posted on Aug 17, 2011 - 7:20PM |
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