Stratford Animal Control:Chickens come home to roost

As someone who has been dropping dimes on the machinations of the Stratford Animal Control Office, Snow Flake Kennels, Stars, and the Town Attorney’s Office, what are we stupid? As they say in the streets, “you have just been gamed”.

I will be as concise as possible, so as not to bore you. This all begins in Sept. 2010. Stratford Animal Control followed up a complaint of multiple cats at a specific location. The owner of these cats was contacted by animal control and intimidated by the officers. Intimidated to the point where she signed over all of her 15 cats to the Town of Stratford. The next day, all 15 cats were taken to SnowFlake Kennels, in Milford, and examined, given rabies shots, given tranquilizers, AND EUTHANIZED. The Town of Stratford paid SnowFlake Kennels,$1,500 for these 15 cats or $100.00 per. In Dec. of 2010 the Town of Stratford received another billing for these same 15 cats which was a double billing and we paid another $1,500. After I filed  a complaint with the Stratford Police Department, I was told by Deputy Chief Joseph McNeal , that it was a” billing error”, and that I was “thanked by the Town for bringing this billing error to the Towns attention”.  This was a conversation at a meeting attended by Chief Riddenhour, Deputy Chief Joseph McNeal, Capt. Greg Proudfoot, Capt. Orlando Soto, Animal Control Officer Rachel Solviera, myself and my wife. All other issues I attempted to bring to the Department’s attention, was dismissed as unimportant.

The next case in sequence is Marion Perreira, 92 years old, she was also charged with animal cruelty and as this is a case that’s receiving a lot of coverage in the media I will just say that this case lasted almost 2 and ½ years before it reached the court because of continuance and postponements by Stratford’s Attorney’s Office. At the jury selection, out of 18 potential jurors only 1 was accepted by the 2 attorneys. After that, a deal was cut and as of 11/21/13, Ms. Perreira has been found “innocent” of all charges. I certainly hope Mrs. Perreira finds herself a competent attorney and not some money grabbing, shyster lawyer. I will pay my fair share of whatever she is awarded, but I will continue to make noise about the incompetence that is being shown in the Stratford Animal Control Office and the Town Attorney’s Office and a reminder to our newly elected Mayor that the “Buck stops with you” and                                                                                                                   that Stratford taxpayers will be paying for that incompetence. Our court costs and legal fees come to $1,347,011.00 for FY 2010, $1,367,338.00 for FY 2011, and $1,470,879.00 in 2012 and continue to rise.

The last case was Dawn Pieger, whose front door was broken down and whose home was invaded by Stratford Animal Control Officers, Stratford Police Officers, State Animal Control Officers, and a number of other Municipal ACOs, on Oct. 23,2010, based on a complaint they had received back on September 18th . Think about that, after receiving the report of animal cruelty, the Animal Control Office waited over a month without ever investigating, never once went to the Pieger home, never once called or left a hanging notice to contact Animal Control. After breaking into Ms Pieger’s home, which was unoccupied at the time, they later arrested Ms. Pieger after they had taken her dogs into custody, who then spent the next 10 months in the animal shelter. After 10 months Ms. Pieger could no longer afford her attorney because the Town Attorney’s Office kept continuing and postponing her case until she ran out of money for her attorney’s fees. Sound familiar?  Ms. Perrera had the benefit because of her age and financial situation, to have a public defender. She was prepared, God bless her, to spend her last days fighting to regain custody of her cats. And the Town Attorney says “the Town may appeal it” Yea, like the Donna Best case?

I sent our newly re-elected Mayor at least 4 E-mails while all this was going on. Everything I sent was absolutely true and I would have signed sworn statements to that truth. After being an honest and hardworking, loyal Town employee for 26 years, I never received so much as an acknowledgement that he received these E-mails. When is Mayor Harkins going to look into what has been going on, on his watch, at the Stratford Animal Shelter, and in his Town Attorney’s Office. You were not elected for a second term to be all photo ops and such. Do your job and thank the good Lord you got a second chance. I will remind you of one word Mr. Mayor, “re-call”. My father told me when I was young that if you see an injustice to someone and don’t stand up for that person, you are just as guilty of the injustice as the actual perpetrator.  Here’s to you Pop.  M. H. Griffin Jr.