CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #5242 Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Cat drowned
Richmond, VA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, May 28, 2005
County: Richmond City
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Jason Mask
On May 28th, 2005, Officer K. Merrick with Richmond Animal Care and Control responded to a Richmond area emergency room to investigate a bite report. After a brief conversation with the bite victim, Jason Mask, animal control ascertained that his own 18-year-old cat had bitten him, while he was drowning it in his bathtub at home.
The incident occurred the day before, but Mask's hand and arm started to become infected which led him to the emergency room.
Mask told animal control that the cat was old and sick, and he was merely performing a form of euthanasia at home. Mask had been having the cat treated for an off and on urinary tract infection over a period of two years. When asked why the cat was not brought to a veterinary clinic to be treated or humanely euthanized, Mask explained that it would be cruel to have a stranger put down his cat.
On July 28, 2005 Mask appeared in general district court. The defense made no effort to contest the act at all, but to appeal that the cruelty statute was not intended to prevent owners from euthanizing their own pets at home. Mask was found guilty of animal cruelty but was put under a 12-month advisement period so the conviction would not appear on his record, due to the fact he is in the childcare profession. Mask was given community service and told not to own any pets for a period of three years.
After one year of good behavior the guilty conviction would be dropped. A recommendation by the commonwealth attorney to have Mask receive court ordered therapy was declined. The courts did not feel Mask was mentally unstable in any way, just that he made a bad decision. References- Richmond, Virginia Court Docket #-GC05005209-00
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