A Michigan woman already facing charges that she stole cats from an animal adoption shelter was hit with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after police found 42 cats in an allegedly unsanitary home that she shared with her two children.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced the misdemeanor charges against 57-year-old Sylvia Gray on Wednesday, June 7, the same day Gray was in court for a pretrial hearing on a larceny charge that she stole some of the cats from a nonprofit animal adoption agency for which she had volunteered.
In addition to the 42 cats, three dogs and six birds were also found at her Grosse Point Farms residence.
Grays arraignment on the new charges is scheduled for June 21 in Grosse Pointe Farms Municipal Court. A trial on the larceny charge is set for Aug. 30. No bond has been set in either case.
Grays 14-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter are in the care of relatives, according to prosecutors office spokeswoman Maria Miller.
An investigation into the stolen cat claim led to a police inspection of Grays home on May 10. When the house was searched, police say they discovered the animals, plus floors covered with cat feces and a stench that permeated the entire home.
Grosse Pointe Farms police say they believe Gray stole up to 20 of the cats from All About Animals Rescue in Eastpointe. Police said she refused to return the cats after she stopped volunteering with the agency.
Amber Sitko, president of All About Animals Rescue, said Wednesday that her group still had 41 of the cats taken from Grays home a month ago and that about half are back to full health. The rest are still taking antibiotics but are expected to recover.
Posted: June 10, 2006, 5:00 a.m. EST