CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #8678 Rating: 3.3 out of 5
Hoarding - 14 cats in van
Soquel, CA (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Feb 12, 2006
County: Santa Cruz
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Richard Kenneth Strum
An Aptos man convicted of failing to properly care for his cats rejected the sentence meted out by a Superior Court judge Monday and was jailed for three months. Judge Paul Burdick had tried to sentence Richard Kenneth Strum, 52, to three years probation, 150 hours of community service, a fine and a restriction on the number of animals he may own while he is on probation. "We weren't looking to be excessively punitive toward the defendant," prosecutor Heather Jones said. A jury found Strum guilty of one count of animal neglect earlier this month, according to court records.
After repeated contacts and warnings, Strum had been cited Feb. 12 by sheriff's deputies. Neighbors had made several complaints about the stench coming from the van he shared with the cats, Jones said. Strum told the court Monday he had 14 felines at that time, and four ran away while the others were being caged by authorities.
"You were just making bad choices," Burdick said.
The cats - five of which reportedly tested positive for FIP, an incurable, fatal disease that affects cats - are now being cared for by the Santa Cruz County Animal Services Authority. Strum asked that the animals be returned to him or his two sisters because he worried they might be euthanized.
"They're my family," Strum said, speaking about several of the cats by name. Burdick denied his request and left the fate of the cats to Animal Services officials.
Strum's feline problems date back as far as February 2005. At that time, Strum was contacted for failing to spay or neuter four cats he owned, according to Burdick. A month later, he was found with a kitten suffering from an upper respiratory infection and did not take the animal to a veterinarian, the judge said. That summer, law enforcement officers reported Strum had eight cats, all of which were afflicted with ear mites, tapeworms and upper respiratory problems, Burdick said. References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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