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Case #3342 Rating: 3.0 out of 5
Attempted declaw by non-vet
Greensburg, PA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Nov 15, 2004
County: Westmoreland
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Loria A. Baur
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A Westmoreland County woman is accused of seriously injuring a cat by attempting to declaw it in exchange for payment. Loria Baur, 45, allegedly performed the botched operation on Nov. 15 for the pet's owner, who lives in Greensburg.
Police say Baur claimed to have veterinary experience before the pet owner agreed to pay her $50 for the declawing.
After the cat's paws became infected, the owner took it to Grace Veterinary Hospital in Mount Pleasant for surgery.
Dr. John O'Laughlin, who is caring for the animal, said it may end up losing part of a paw.
"This surgery is going to have to be redone because there were bits of bone left in the good foot," O'Laughlin said. "The rotted foot, she has only two toes left."
Investigators say Baur used to work at a veterinary hospital but is not a licensed veterinarian in Pennsylvania.
According to Animal Friends humane investigators, approximately two months ago, Baur was paid $80 to neuter and declaw another cat belonging to a West Newton resident, which leads Hecker to believe that this has been an ongoing pattern of conduct by Baur. Anyone with information regarding other surgeries performed by Baur should contact Hecker at 412.670.6650.
A first-degree misdemeanor charge was filed on Dec 7 at District Court 10-2-06, Honorable Charles M. Christner, 112 Walnut Lane in West Newton. The penalties for conviction are fines not less than $1,000, up to two years in prison, or both. The court may also order a pre-sentence mental evaluation.
Case Updates
Loria Baur, 46, of Kangaroo Hill Road, Lowber, was admitted into Westmoreland County's Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program on December 15, 2005 by Judge Rita D. Hathaway. ARD allows first-time, nonviolent criminal offenders to petition to have their public records expunged after a probation period. Entering the program is not an admission of guilt.
Baur's probation will last two years, according to the court order, which also specified she was to have no contact with animals except a family pet she owned before her arrest. Violating the order could lead a judge to pull Baur from the program and put the case back on the trial list.
Police say Baur's animal cruelty charges resulted from an investigation into injuries suffered by at least two cats when Baur allegedly tried to declaw the animals in November 2004. Bloody surgical instruments, needles and the anesthetic Telazol were used for the procedure, according to a witness. Police say Baur is not a licensed veterinarian, but previously worked at a local veterinary hospital.
Assistant District Attorney Kelly Tua Hammers said the agreement allowing Baur into ARD saves taxpayers the expense of prosecuting her at trial while preventing her from trying to declaw animals again. A conviction likely would have led to a probation sentence, Hammers said, adding that convincing a jury that Baur intended to hurt the cats, not just declaw them, may have been difficult.
In October 2005, Judge John E. Blahovec refused to approve Baur for the ARD program, but Hammers said the district attorney's office did not withdraw the plea offer. As part of the order, Baur must pay back the $50 she charged each of the pet owners to treat their cats. | Source: Trib Live News - December 16, 2005
Update posted on Dec 17, 2005 - 1:31AM |
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