60 illegally caged raccoons on property
Martinsburg, WV (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Oct 1, 2005
County: Berkeley

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Patricia Jeanne Hoffman

A woman accused of illegally keeping about 60 raccoons on her property has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor wildlife charge. Tests showed that at least one raccoon had parvovirus, which can be fatal if untreated.

Patricia Hoffman-Butler, 47, an animal rehabilitator, pleaded no contest to one count of illegal possession of wildlife on Dec. 13, 2005 in Berkeley County Magistrate Court. She was fined $20 and ordered to pay $153.50 in court costs. Hoffman-Butler was originally charged Oct. 1, 2005 after a State Police trooper responding to a report of shots fired in the area saw the raccoons. She does not have a state permit to possess wildlife, the Division of Natural Resources has said. The DNR raided Hoffman-Butler's property in late October and seized and euthanized all the raccoons. Conservation officers believed the animals were a potential health threat to other wildlife, Curtis Taylor, the DNR's wildlife resources chief, said. "We did what we had to do," Taylor said.

Hoffman is known as a woman who lead efforts to start a wildlife rehabilitation licensing system within WV, as none currently exists. She has been recognized as a concerned and competent caregiver, and was in the process of, getting the state law changed to create a licensing procedure for wildlife caregivers in West Virginia. The bill is being considered in WV's congress. If this law passes, people would be required to pass a registration test before they can be licensed to handle, and rehab wildlife, in WV.

The carcasses were sent to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study Group at the University of Georgia for testing. None of the animals tested positive for rabies.

The charge against Hoffman-Butler was dismissed in November 2005 after a conservation officer failed to appear for a bench trial because he hadn't been notified of the proceeding. The charge was refiled Dec. 6, 2005.

References

• Washington Post - December 28, 2005

« WV State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Berkeley County, WV

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.