Attorneys/Judges
| Defense(s): | E. Scott Collins | | Judge(s): | Gerald V. Purnell |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #18515 Rating: 2.0 out of 5
Repeat offender caught with more animals
Berlin, MD (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Aug 24, 2011
County: Worcester
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Kirt Barren Greenberg
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
A man on probation for locking his dogs in an SUV last summer was arrested at his home and charged with seven more counts of animal cruelty after police found a variety of animals in his attic and vehicle.
Police charged Berlin resident Kirt Greenberg with seven counts of animal cruelty after recovering three cats, two ferrets and two rabbits from his vehicle and attic.
Officers received information on Aug. 24 that Greenberg, who served 30 days for animal cruelty this spring, had animals in his possession, which was in violation of his probation. Upon arriving at his West Street home at about 3:30 p.m., police observed Greenberg loading an animal cage into his vehicle. When they entered his home, they found more animals in the attic. Police said the charges against Greenberg came because of the temperature and location in which the animals were kept.
The cats, ferrets and rabbits are now in the custody of Worcester County Animal Control, Berlin Police Chief Arnold Downing said, adding that organization was conducting an investigation into the matter as well.
Greenberg and Shannon Mecall Houssain were convicted in March of animal cruelty after they left six dogs locked in a Dodge Durango at The Centre at Salisbury in Aug. 2010. Police used a baton to release the dogs, one of which died even after being administered CPR. As a result of those charges, Greenberg was ordered to surrender any remaining pets to Worcester County Animal Control.
Greenberg also faces more than 20 child pornography charges in a trial scheduled for Oct. 3.
Case UpdatesTwo days after getting sentenced to a combined 20 years for convictions on five counts of possession of child pornography, a Berlin man was sentenced last Thursday to an additional 18 months for animal cruelty stemming from an incident last August.
Greenberg's sentencing last Thursday for his latest animal cruelty convictions from the August incident in Berlin bring closure to the wide variety of criminal cases against him.
He is now serving 20 years for the child pornography convictions along with an additional 18 months for animal cruelty. He will also be required to register as a Tier I sex offender upon his release. | Source: mdcoastdispatch.com - Dec 30, 2011
Update posted on Dec 30, 2011 - 11:30AM |
A Berlin man who pleaded guilty last month to five counts of possession of child pornography stemming from an investigation in January 2010 was sentenced this week to combined 20 years in prison.
Kirt Greenberg, 46, of Berlin, pleaded guilty on Nov. 22 to five counts of possession of child pornography following an investigation local, state and federal investigation that began back in September 2009. Back in court on Tuesday, Greenberg was sentenced to four years in jail for each of the five child pornography convictions, representing a combined 20 years jail. He was given credit for 80 days served while awaiting trial and the five four-year sentences will be served consecutively. Greenberg will also be required to register as a Tier I sex offender for 15 years following his release.
The FBI began investigating Greenberg in 2009 when a special agent had logged into a public website in an undercover capacity and was invited by Greenberg to join his chat room. Once inside the chat room, the special agent was able to download over 500 images of child pornography. Greenberg was ultimately charged with 28 counts of possession of child pornography.
However, he was later acquitted on those charges after an investigation by the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) uncovered an expansion of Greenberg's illicit activity. In January 2010, WCBI detectives began investigating Greenberg for an alleged violation of the Peeping Tom law. During the investigation, it was learned a female juvenile had been residing at Greenberg's residence in Berlin on a temporary basis. Based on conversations the victim had with Greenberg during her time at his residence, she believed the suspect had videotaped her without her consent wearing little or no clothing.
Based on interviews with the victim, WCBI detectives in late February 2010 executed a search and seizure warrant on Greenberg's Berlin home, recovering several computer hard drives that were turned over to the Maryland State Police Computer Crimes unit for analysis.
Through the WCBI investigation, it was learned that in September 2009, the FBI began a parallel investigation into Greenberg's possible possession and distribution of child pornography. It was on the basis of that second batch of child pornography possession that Greenberg was ultimately convicted and sentenced to a combined 20 years in prison this week.
While Greenberg will now be serving a significant jail sentence for the child pornography convictions, he also awaits sentencing on animal cruelty charges stemming from an incident in Berlin in August, which was his second arrest on animal cruelty charges within a year. On Aug. 24, Berlin Police received a tip that Greenberg was in possession of animals in compromised health conditions in direct violation of his probation for an animal cruelty conviction in Salisbury in August 2010.
When officers arrived at Greenberg's Berlin home on Aug. 24, they found a total of seven animals in extremely hot conditions in his vehicle and residence. The incident was in direct violation of the terms of Greenberg's probation for an August 2010 incident during which he left six dogs in a vehicle in a mall parking lot in Salisbury in 100-degree-plus heat. Greenberg was found guilty on one count of inflicting animal cruelty in that case and was sentenced to 90 days, all but 30 days of which were suspended. He was also placed on probation for one year and was prohibited from keeping animals.
During the incident in Berlin in August, when officers arrived at Greenberg's residence, they found two cats in a vehicle in 100-degree-plus heat. A search of the residence revealed five more animals in the attic, also in 100-degree-plus heat.
In the August 2010 incident in Salisbury, local police responded to a call from the parking lot at the Centre at Salisbury for dogs secured in a dangerously hot vehicle. Upon arrival, police met with witnesses who pointed out a vehicle in the parking lot with six dogs inside, which appeared to be in physical duress due to the heat.
The officer gained entry into the vehicle and determined the temperature inside was over 105 degrees. One of the dogs was found to be unresponsive and later died from exposure to the heat. The remaining dogs were given water and air conditioning and slowly revived. | Source: dcoastdispatch.com - Dec 23, 2011
Update posted on Dec 23, 2011 - 9:03AM |
A District Court judge found a Berlin man guilty of animal cruelty after police found pets in his vehicle and attic on a 98-degree day this summer.
Worcester County District Court Judge Gerald V. Purnell found Berlin resident Kirt B. Greenberg guilty of seven counts of animal cruelty in the August incident in which police removed cats, ferrets and rabbits from his home and vehicle. At the time Greenberg was already on probation for an August 2010 incident when he and Shannon Mecall Houssain left six dogs -- one of which later died -- locked in a Dodge Durango at The Centre at Salisbury. His probation prohibited him from having any animals.
Greenberg entered a not guilty plea at the onset of the trial, which included testimony from two probation officers, a Berlin police officer and Sue Rantz, Worcester County's chief animal control officer.
Rantz, who said she'd received a tip Greenberg had animals at his house, testified that when she arrived there were two cats in a vehicle with the windows rolled up. The temperature inside it was 117.5 degrees, she said, and the outside temperature was 98.5 degrees. When she went into the house, she and other officers heard scratching coming from the ceiling. They then found two rabbits and a cat in the attic. Two ferrets were also located in the house.
Greenberg's attorney, E. Scott Collins, motioned for acquittal after the state had produced its witnesses.
"No one testified the animals were in distress," he said.
He went on to say his client had been charged with not providing the animals with air. "Unless there's a vacuum chamber, they have sufficient air. The state's proof is simply lacking."
Purnell denied the motion and subsequently found Greenberg guilty. He postponed sentencing until Dec. 6, and before then, Greenberg faces a Nov. 21-22 Circuit Court trial on more than 20 child pornography charges.
Those charges came after a 17-year-old girl who had been staying at Greenberg's house told police she thought he had videotaped her showering without her permission, according to court documents. When police searched his house and computers, they allegedly found images of child pornography and a complex setup of video cameras. Greenberg has entered a plea of being not criminally responsible, court records show. | Source: delmarvanow.com - Nov 10, 2011
Update posted on Nov 10, 2011 - 8:00AM |
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