Police arrested Joyce Hunstad for investigation of animal cruelty after her pets were found abandoned and dead in her condo.
The animals were discovered after neighbors noticed a horrible stench and couldn't hear them anymore.
"Just a terrible smell, I knew something was wrong there," said Andreas Kischel as he described the foul odor coming from the woman's nearby condo.
Kischel's fears were confirmed when Bellevue Police officers in protective suits emerged with bags of dead animals. A total of seven cats and a small dog were found dead in a condo amid feces, fleas, and garbage. The animals apparently died from heat and lack of food and water.
Hunstad hasn't been seen here for several weeks and authorities have no explanation for the cruelty.
"She needs to pay for this," said Kischel with disgust. "This is bad. Dead animals. I don't even care that much about my own well being but I feel sorry for those animals how they died."
Kischel says he used to see one of the cats in the window and he could hear the animals meowing and barking. But when the temperatures grew so hot he decided to call police.
Officers checked the home Thursday but they didn't go inside until Friday.
"I'm disgusted in the police and animal control for not getting involved where they should have been involved," said animal welfare activist Christine Jones. Her voice shook as she tried to put her feelings into words. "This is what they're paid for. It didn't have to happen."
"The information we received from the caller was there normally was a cat sitting in the window and the cat's not longer there. Well, that's not enough evidence for the police department to kick in somebody's front door" explained Bellevue police officer Michael Chiu.
Animal control says they too just got word of the animals's plight in the last 48 hours.
Sgt. Kris Meyers of King County Animal Control says, "I'm sure this has been going on for some time, but the information just came to us and we acted on it right away."
Even though the larger pets perished, police say an animal rights group managed to get in and save a caged bird.
Charges will likely be filed against Hunstad next week.
The animal protection organization Pasado Safe Haven is considering filing a lawsuit against the Bellevue Police Department and King County Animal Control for their alleged lack of action in stopping this crime from happening. Pasado Safe Haven states that the police first responded to a call to Hunstad's residence back in July of 2003, so they were aware of the problem and failed to take action.
Summarized from Case Updates| Posted on May 4, 2005 - 5:48AM | Joyce Hunstad, a 57-year-old Bellevue woman was sentenced to 30 days of house arrest for starving several cats to death last summer in her flea-infested condominium.
Joyce Hunstad must also serve 100 hours of community service and pay abut $2,000 in fines and court costs, said Bellevue District Court Judge Fred Yeatts. | | Source: Seattle Times - May 4, 2005 |
| Posted on Apr 28, 2005 - 4:58AM | Arrested and charged with animal neglect, Joyce Hunstad, 57, has pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts and is scheduled to be sentenced in Bellevue District Court.
Hunstad is fortunate. Because under new state legislation inspired by this case, animal neglect has been elevated to a felony offense -- to be tried in higher courts and punishable by stiffer fines and jail time. One of the toughest such measures in the nation, it was passed unanimously by legislators at the urging of animal-protection advocates.
It also would make the crime of animal fighting a felony instead of a gross misdemeanor.
Gov. Christine Gregoire is expected to sign the bill, which would take effect 90 days later. | | Source: seattlepi.com - April 28, 2005 |
References« Back to Search Results
|
