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Case #5420 Rating: 2.6 out of 5
Hoarding - over 20 animals found dead
Upper Freehold, NJ (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Apr 21, 2005
County: Monmouth
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Christopher Allbee
A former township resident pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to provide food, water and sustenance to animals in his care. Christopher Allbee, 33, received a nearly $3,000 fine and lost the ability to keep animals for five years. He must also perform 60 days of community service. The court proceedings took place on Aug. 11.
According to Animal Control Officer Mary Klink, a call was received on April 21 from a Red Valley Road resident who had rented a room to Allbee, a family friend. Allbee had not been present for at least two weeks, she said.
Klink found a variety of animals, including iguanas, monitor lizards, tarantulas, turtles, fish, 15 rats, a cat and a rabbit. She estimated that 75 percent of the animals had perished from lack of care.
"They were all dying, with no food or water," she said.
Klink said there were two dead ferrets in cages under a bed. Turtles, in a bucket of water, had not been fed and were dead, and the fish were eating each other, she said.
Klink estimated that the animals had received no care for at least two weeks, but said that prior care could not have been sufficient.
Some of the small animals were virtually "dust in the cage," she said.
All living animals were taken to Associated Humane Society in Lacey Township and given medical treatment. Some of the surviving reptiles were later relocated to a reptile rehabilitator.
Allbee, who once worked in a pet store, had no prior record of animal abuse. He agreed to plead guilty to possession of nongame or exotic wildlife, as charged by the N.J. Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, and will pay a $750 fine.
Allbee's public defender, John Novak, negotiated a plea for his client to plead guilty to three counts of failing to provide proper care for animals, and one disorderly persons offense. The fine for each count is $1,000, but half of the fine was suspended by Municipal Court Judge Bonnie Goldman on condition that Allbee comply with his probation.
The New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA) asked that Allbee have a supervised probation, so that its representatives may check to confirm that he has no animals.
Municipal Prosecutor Richard Kelly said "More than 20 animals died of neglect over an extended time, and other animals suffered.
"You need to be thinking about what you did to those animals," she told Allbee.
She said people could go to jail for animal abuse. Goldman also told Allbee, now a Seaside resident, that if he relocated without informing the court and the NJSPCA, he would be in violation of his probation. References« NJ State Animal Cruelty Map
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