Open Letter to Town Council ,Mayor and Taxpayers of Stratford

This is an open letter to Members of the Council, Mayor Harkins and the Taxpayers of Stratford.

This involves Mrs. Marion Perreira , a 92 year old Stratford resident, who was arrested over 2 years ago for multiple counts of animal cruelty to her cats. I brought Marion to this council, over a year ago, to ask that the charges and arrest that had been initiated by Stratford Animal Control Officers on statements made by Dr. Block, a local veterinarian , be looked into regarding multiple violations of her, Mrs. Perreira’s, Constitutional rights. The Stratford Town Attorney’s Office then, for almost 2 and 1/2 years, postponed and continued this case as they had with the Dawn Peiger animal cruelty case that had also been initiated by Dr. Block, who testified, in court, that Ms. Peiger had cruelly treated HER dogs. On Monday, November  18th, (3 weeks ago)Mrs. Perreira went to court for what she believed to be Jury selection, and was told that Dr. Block had recanted her statements regarding animal cruelty in her case.

 The prosecutor, actually an Assistant State’s Attorney, not the Town Attorneys who had been “milking” this case for over two years, and getting hourly charges from the Town for doing what should have been done a long time ago, and the Attorney for the Defense, who  then agreed to dismiss all charges. These two cases, filed by Stratford Animal Control and Dr. Block, has, and will, cost Stratford Taxpayers probably 10’s of thousands if not millions of dollars so Stratford’s Chief Animal Control Officer could get an Animal Control Officer of the Year Award. These were not like book keeping errors as Stratford Animal Control claimed the double billing of 15 euthanized cats, which I had brought to the Councils attention, at least one plus years ago, along with copies of the records to prove that all these issues are at least total ineptitude, on the part of the Stratford Animal Control Officers, dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming their Office, and at worst, criminal conduct. I would suggest that Dr. Block’s conduct in both these cases should be directed to the Ct. Vet. Association, as to the issues of a “false statement”, which she admitted to, and the sworn testimony she gave, in court, which was false, and therefore perjury. I can’t see that the current animal control officers, have any credibility left, that Stratford pet owners can count on, that on any given day, should they run into one of these officer’s, they will not be arrested and their pets taken from them on some bogus charges

M. H. Griffin Jr.