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Case #3505 Rating: 1.0 out of 5
Hoarding - approximately 34 animals
Valparaiso, IN (US)Incident Date: Monday, Jan 3, 2005
County: Porter
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available
Defendant/Suspect: Patricia Scott
Case Updates: 4 update(s) available
Patricia Scott may face animal cruelty or neglect charges after a large number of animals, mostly dogs, were discovered in squalor conditions in her home on the city's south side.
Most of the animals are now at the Porter County Animal Shelter south of Valparaiso, including 24 dogs that will be examined by veterinarians.
Porter County Animal Control Officer Brian Sexton said he will meet with prosecutors to determine what charges should be filed.
Being considered are misdemeanor charges that each carry a jail sentence of up to 180 days and a fine of up to $1,000.
Sexton is taking paperwork to the prosecutor's office and expects to file multiple charges, he said.
The potential charges continue a bizarre string of events since a Monday fire at Scott's house at 6 Dumas St.
An inspection was scheduled at the home Monday morning by the Porter County Health Department and county animal control, prompted by complaints about animals there.
Before inspectors arrived, Scott, 56, moved most of the animals from her home.
Not long after the inspection, the house caught fire due to candles burning in the home. Officials speculate the candles were burning to mask the animal smell.
Reports from that fire indicated just a handful of animals being saved from the home.
But at some point later Monday, Scott brought back to the house more than 30 animals. Some were put in vehicles on the property, authorities said.
Citizen calls to animal control officers on Tuesday about Scott returning animals to the burned home brought officials back to the house, revealing the ruse.
And the tragic condition of the animals.
Sandy Ogle, Porter County Animal Shelter director, said officers Tuesday removed 24 dogs, three birds, a rabbit, three cats, a tarantula, a scorpion and a millipede.
Five birds and three snakes were dead inside the house.
The basement was damaged enough by the fire that it was hard to tell if any other animals perished, Ogle said.
Scott volunteered her home to animals from Mixed-Up Mutts, a LaPorte-based canine rescue group.
Chris Stevens, Mixed-Up treasurer, said the group "was blindsided" by Scott's actions and her previous animal cruelty arrests under a different name.
Scott was convicted in 1990 of cruelty to animals while using a last name of Reynolds.� In that incident, she had more than 20 animals in her home on West Street in Valparaiso. She also was convicted of similar charges in LaPorte County in 1999, according to Ogle.
"We screen people before allowing them to provide foster homes for dogs and nothing about her convictions showed up," Stevens said. Scott had been a dog groomer in Valparaiso and had done similar work in Michigan City, he said.
Julie Wolf, environmental health specialist for the Porter County Health Department, said Wednesday that in response to complaints about the animals' living conditions, she tried to make a surprise inspection at Scott's home, as did animal control officers. But Scott was never home.
Wolf then sent a letter, which gave Scott time to remove some of the animals.
"I didn't realize there was a basement and the first floor was clean, no feces or other waste anywhere," Wolf said of the Monday visit that didn't result in official action.
After Wolf left, a candle Scott told firefighters she left burning in the basement for 15 or 20 minutes started a fire, burning the basement and a bedroom and causing extensive smoke damage.
"We don't know what she did with most of the animals, but they weren't there Monday morning," said Ogle.
Sexton said the dogs will be checked by veterinarians to see which ones can be adopted.
"We hope most will be adoptable," Ogle said.
Case UpdatesClinging to her innocence, Patricia Scott was sentenced Feb 28 to 20 days behind bars and was forbidden from owning any more pets while living in Porter County.
The 57-year-old Valparaiso woman, who was found guilty of animal cruelty, also was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and treatment and complete 20 days of community service and one year of formal probation.
Before Scott could be handcuffed and taken away to jail, she fled the courtroom with security officers in tow, saying she was going to be sick.
Porter Superior Judge Julia Jent accused Scott of failing to take responsibility for her actions.
"What you did to those animals was criminal," Jent said.
Scott was found guilty on a misdemeanor cruelty charge involving 24 dogs and three cats that were removed Jan. 4, 2005 from her burned house at 6 Dumas St. in Valparaiso.
Porter County Animal Control Officer Brian Sexton testified during the trial that he discovered seven dogs without food or water in a vehicle outside Scott's house and a rabbit in a feces-strewn carrier in another vehicle.
He said he entered the house that burned the day before and found several crates in the basement stairwell, each containing at least one dog. Another dog was found in a bathroom closet and even more were found roaming the house or stuffed together in the same crate.
Scott was found guilty by a jury of the same offense in 1990 and was sentenced to 180 days of community service and one year of probation, according to Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Melanie Eggers.
Scott, who spoke on her own behalf after making a failed attempt to dump her defense attorney, told the judge the accusations against her are untrue.
She said the incident has devastated her financially and emotionally, and said it is too late to punish her.
"You can only prolong it," she said.
A phenomenon known as animal hoarding has been raised in connection with the Scott case. Experts say the most successful mechanism for dealing with the condition involves finding a new home for the animals in question and then addressing the problem with the person through psychological counseling and monitoring. | Source: NWI Times - March 1, 2006
Update posted on Mar 6, 2006 - 3:18AM |
Porter County Animal Control Officer Brian Sexton said when he showed up at Patricia Scott's Valparaiso home a day after it burned last year, he discovered seven dogs without food or water in one vehicle and a rabbit in feces-strewn carrier in another vehicle. He said he entered the house at 6 Dumas St. and found several crates in the basement stairwell, each containing at least one dog. Another dog was found in a bathroom closet and even more were found roaming the house or stuffed together in the same crate.
Scott was found guilty February 16, 2006 on an animal cruelty charge involving the 24 dogs and three cats that were removed from the burned house, according to court staff. Scott faces up to 180 days behind bars when sentenced at 1 p.m. February 28, 2006 on the misdemeanor charge before Porter Superior Court Judge Julia Jent. Sexton told jurors during the one-day trial that the animals were thin, and most, if not all, had external parasites, feces imbedded in their fur, and none had water or food in their crates. "Would you say these animals were neglected?" Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Melanie Eggers asked. "Yes I would," Sexton replied.
Valparaiso University Law Clinic student Elizabeth Glick, who defended Sexton, said her client has a lifelong passion of caring for discarded animals and finding them new homes. Some of the animals were already aggressive, unhealthy and suffered other problems when they arrived at Scott's home, she said. "Patricia Scott loved each and every one of the animals she cared for," Glick said.
The animals were removed from Scott's home January 4, 2005, Sexton said. He said he visited the home the day before in response to a call from the county health department and saw just two dogs and several birds in cages in the house. When asked by Glick whether he heard other dogs elsewhere in the house on January 3, 2006, he said no. He could not say where the dogs came from the next day or what shape they were in when they arrived at the house. | Source: NWI Times - February 17, 2006
Update posted on Feb 25, 2006 - 11:37AM |
Patricia Scott pleaded not guilty to a criminal charge of animal cruelty.
Scott made an initial court appearance on the charge Wednesday before Porter Superior Judge David Chidester.
"Very simple, I'm innocent," she said.
After telling the court she does not have the money to hire a defense attorney, Chidester awarded her free legal representation from a student at the Valparaiso University School of Law Legal Clinic.
The next hearing was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. April 19.
Scott is fighting to reclaim two of the dogs.
She pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor counts of trespassing and false informing after being arrested near the county animal shelter where she reportedly went after hours to get a glimpse of the animals and possibly steal them back.
Scott will be represented by a third-year law student in her animal cruelty case, said Valparaiso University Professor Dave Welter, who supervises the criminal arm of the legal clinic.
The students are certified by the Indiana Supreme Court to defend clients under the supervision of an attorney, Welter said. | Source: The Times Online - Feb 10, 2005
Update posted on Feb 11, 2005 - 12:51AM |
The Valparaiso woman who had more than two dozen dogs seized from her home Tuesday went to the Porter County Animal Shelter after it closed Thursday night to catch a glimpse of the animals and possibly steal them back, police said.
Patricia Scott, 56, of 6 Dumas St., who was already being charged with animal neglect, is now being charged with trespassing. The misdemeanor charges carry a maximum penalty of up to 1 1/2 years behind bars if she's convicted.
In addition, police discovered a silver fox inside her vehicle when they went to impound it. Animal control officials also took possession of that animal and contacted the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Scott told police she'd been to the Animal Shelter during normal business hours, but was told she couldn't have her animals back. So, she returned after hours to the shelter, located off of Ind. 2, south of U.S. 30, police said.
Police said Scott, who brought a flashlight and hammer to the shelter, stated her intention was to see the dogs, so she could let her son know they were all right. Police said when they asked her why she had a hammer, she said, "I thought if I could get up enough nerve, I would get them out of the shelter."
Scott told police the dogs meant everything to her son, and he was upset to see animal control authorities seize them. She told police it upset her to see her son so hurt.
Porter County police Officer John Gildein said he caught Scott outside the shelter at 1:40 a.m., and she claimed to be a woman named "Susan" who lived down the road and was out for a walk. Police said they finally got her to admit her true identity.
Scott was arrested on preliminary charges of attempted burglary, criminal trespass and false informing, but prosecutors didn't feel her actions progressed to the point where she could be charged with attempted burglary.
"After reviewing the reports, it appeared there wasn't enough to substantiate burglary," Chief Deputy Prosecutor Brian Gensel said. "However, there is enough to support a trespassing charge."
Police said she admitted going through a gate and climbing a fence to get to the back of the building. | Source: nwitimesonline - Jan 8, 2005
Update posted on Jan 9, 2005 - 5:56AM |
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