Pennsylvania: Previously convicted animal abuser and horse trader Phillip Price, 65, is convicted AGAIN

PENNSYLVANIA -- The Rhode Island man accused of transporting and then abandoning a lame white mare that was named Lily at the New Holland Sales Stable in March has been convicted of all five summary citations filed against him.

Following an hourlong trial in New Holland on Friday, Phillip S. Price, 65, of East Providence, was ordered by District Judge Rodney Hartman to pay $3,056 in fines and $10,178 in restitution for Lily's recovery-care costs. The judge also banned Price from doing future business at the New Holland auction.

Price was convicted of 3 counts of animal cruelty, a single count of dealing and handling animals without a license, and a single count of importing animals without an interstate health certificate that New Holland police filed against him.

According to a news release from the Lancaster County District Attorney's office, a prosecutor presented witnesses and evidence, including a surveillance video from the auction, that showed Lily - an Arabian / Appaloosa horse - was very thin and blind when dropped off March 14 at New Holland stables.

 

"The commonwealth is satisfied that justice was served and the defendant was held accountable for his inhumane conduct regarding the horse," stated Assistant District Attorney Christine Wilson in the news release.

Lily was transported from New Jersey to the auction where she was abandoned and found to be in poor health with paint splattered all over her coat. It hasn't been determined how the paint got there, according to the news release.

Her ownership was handed over to York County-based Omega Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation Center which sent Lily to University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine's New Bolton Center for treatment.

 

She had uveitis, an inflammation, in both of her eyes when she arrived at New Bolton and had to have one eye removed. Vision in her other eye has been about 80 percent restored and she has gained about 150 pounds since having two days' worth of dental work done making it possible for her to eat, according to her owner and doctor.

Lily continues to be boarded at a private rehab farm in Kennett Square next to Penn Vet's New Bolton Center.

This is what he did to this horse when he was previously convicted of Animal Cruelty: 

 

This is the same horse, since recovered since being seized

(PennLive - May 20, 2016)

Earlier:

• Rhode Island: Cruelty charges brought against horse dealer Philip Price in Saunderstown
• Pennsylvania: Philip Price, charged in horse abuse case, was previously convicted on 8 counts of animal cruelty
• Pennsylvania: Philip Price, charged with animal cruelty in Rhode Island in 2015, pleads not guilty to animal cruelty charges in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania: Philip Price, charged with animal cruelty in Rhode Island in 2015, pleads not guilty to animal cruelty charges in Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA -- The Rhode Island man accused of leaving a horse wounded and covered in paint in Lancaster County had pled not guilty to animal cruelty charges.

Philip Price will have a trial next month on the summary offenses.

 

 

 

The Lancaster County SPCA said the horse was hit more than 120 times with a paintball gun, which blinded the horse's right eye.

Surgery has since been performed to remove the eye.

The horse, named Lily, is still at a horse rehab in Chester County and is to be doing very well.

Note: Philip Price, a known horse trader, was charged with animal cruelty in Rhode Island in 2015.

(WGAL Lancaster - Apr 27, 2016)

Earlier:

• Rhode Island: Cruelty charges brought against horse dealer Philip Price in Saunderstown
• Pennsylvania: Philip Price, charged in horse abuse case, was previously convicted on 8 counts of animal cruelty

Pennsylvania: Philip Price, charged in horse abuse case, was previously convicted on 8 counts of animal cruelty

PENNSYLVANIA -- Cruelty charges were filed today against a Rhode Island man in connection with an abandoned pony that was shot more than 125 times with a paintball gun.

New Holland police issued five citations against Phillip S. Price, 65, of East Providence, Rhode Island.

Price is charged with animal cruelty for transporting the horse to the New Holland Sales Stables for auction, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's office.

Two other cruelty charges stem from neglect of the animal and her being offered for sale in the condition in which she was found — extremely thin and in pain.

The pony was found abandoned in a back stall at the New Holland Sales Stable March 15, said Sue Martin, director of the Lancaster County SPCA. Named Lily for a flower that blooms at Easter, the large, nearly white pony was transferred to New Bolton Center in Kennett Square for treatment of pain and problems with her eyes.

 

She continues to convalesce at that facility.

New Holland police Detective Lt. Jonathan Heisse filed the charges, which will be mailed to Price, after consultation with and approval by Assistant District Attorney Christine L. Wilson.

The investigation is continuing into how Lily received paint markings on her body.

It is not the first time Price has been charged with cruelty.

On July 22 of last year, Price pleaded no contest to eight counts of animal cruelty in Rhode Island where he lives.  The charges stemmed from the "conditions of filth" that the eight horses were kept in, according to Rhode Island SPCA enforcement officer, Joe Warzycha.

 

State authorities charged Price with a single count of dealing animals without a license, according to Warzycha. Price received 11 months of probation and had to pay a fine on the state charge.

In the Lancaster County case, Price is also charged with a single count of dealing and handling animals without a license, and a single count of importing animals without an interstate health certificate.

The horse was transported from a location in New Jersey to the auction site.

Each summary citation carries a maximum fine of $750, plus additional court costs, which will be ordered by District Judge Rodney Hartman, if Price is proven guilty. At that point, restitution for the horse’s care will also be ordered.

 

Lily continues to improve and gain weight at the New Bolton Center. Veterinarians put her on pain medication for the hits from the paintballs and removed one of her eyes that had become blind and painful.

The reward for information leading to the arrest of anyone involved in the incident reached $10,000 after the Humane Society of the United States contributed $5,000 and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals chipped in $4,000 to the original $1,000 reward contributed anonymously, according to Omega Horse Rescue, which is managing donations for the horse's care.

(Lancaster Online - March 30, 2016)

Earlier:

• Rhode Island: Cruelty charges brought against horse dealer Philip Price in Saunderstown

Owners horrified as cat almost drowned in shocking paint attack

AUSTRALIA - The RSPCA will investigate after a cat was allegedly pinned down and sprayed with red paint in Knoxfield.

Casey Thomson said she woke yesterday morning to find her beloved cat Jett, 4, “absolutely saturated head to tail” in paint in a shocking case of animal cruelty.

“Some horrible, low life scum took my handsome, beautiful cat from my home, pinned him down and tried to drown him with red paint,” Ms Thomson wrote on Facebook.

Jett was taken to a vet and had his fur completely shaved.

“He’s now being a trooper and fighting for his life at the vet,” Ms Thomson wrote.

Casey’s mum, Linda, said the family “had no beef” with any of their neighbours and believed little Jett was the victim of a random attack.

“I have no idea who would do such a horrible thing. I can’t fathom who would be so cruel and do something so malicious,” she said.

She said Jett and the family’s other cat, Billie, were kept inside most of the night before being let out in early in the morning.

Ms Thomson said the even coverage of paint was an indication Jett had been sprayed at fairly close range and did not have the opportunity to escape the attack.

“The vet said (the paint job) was so even that he’d obviously been well and truly sprayed and they’d concentrated on his face and his bottom,” she said.

Ms Thomson said Jett had been sedated at the vet to stop him from licking the paint and “tearing out” tufts of fur. He has been completely shaved, but there are still traces of paint on his skin.

“It’s just a waiting game to see how much (of the paint) has got into his blood stream or whether he’s got any ulcers that are going to come up as a result of the paint,” Ms Thomson said.

“He’s not got off Casey’s bed (since he got home) — he just sits there shaking.”

Ms Thomson said the vet provided a sample of Jett’s paint-covered fur in a bid to help the RSCPA catch the culprit.

RSPCA inspectorate manager Allie Jalbert said they were investigating and urged anyone with information to come forward.

“If it was a prank, it was a sick one,” she said. “No animal should be put through such a distressing ordeal.”

A person found guilty of cruelty against animals can face up to one year’s jail time, a fine of over $37,000 and a maximum banning order which prevents them from owning or being in charge of animals for 10 years.

(Herald Sun - Sept 13, 2015)

Christina Regg charged with locking cat inside paint can and leaving it to die

NEW YORK -- A Delaware County woman has been charged with animal cruelty after she allegedly placed a stray cat into a paint can and then sealed the lid, killing the feline.
 
Christina L. Regg of 7137 Charlotte Creek Road, Davenport, was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals in connection with the incident. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Department reported Monday that she “intentionally” caused the cat to suffocate.

“What happened to this cat was absolutely appalling,” Undersheriff Craig DuMond told The Daily Star on Monday. “It’s just sick that any human being could even think of doing such a thing to a defenseless pet.”

The cat had been abandoned by a former tenant of the trailer park where Regg resides, DuMond said.

One of Regg’s neighbors, Elizabeth Montgomery, told The Daily Star the cat was named Fluffy. Montgomery described the feline as a long-haired, all-white fur, blue-eyed feline with a sweet disposition.

Fluffy, Montgomery said, had been staying inside an empty trailer, and neighbors were taking care of it by offering it food. She said Regg was apparently upset that the cat, in an apparent effort to find warmth as the temperature dropped, went to the window of the trailer to try to get in.

“I don’t understand how anyone can do something like that to an animal that’s not harming you,” Montgomery said. “Fluffy was so friendly. You could walk right up to her and she would come right up to you and love on you.”

Regg, however, told neighbors that Fluffy had become “a nuisance,” Montgomery said.

Neighbors contacted the sheriff’s office after Regg allegedly told neighbors about her method of getting rid of the cat, DuMond said.

Regg allegedly disposed of the paint bucket — with the cat sealed inside — by tossing it over an embankment behind a neighbor’s home. Neighbors contacted the sheriff’s office after Regg allegedly told neighbors about her method of getting rid of the cat, DuMond said.

 The paint bucket containing the remains was turned over to the sheriff’s department by the neighbors.

When questioned by an investigator, Regg at first denied having been involved in the incident, claiming that as a veterinary technician she would never harm an animal, DuMond said.

Regg was given an appearance ticket directing her to appear in Davenport town court at a later date. She was arrested at 3:27 p.m. Saturday, the undersheriff said.

Regg, when contacted by The Daily Star, admitted she put the cat in the container because she said that if she did not, she feared she would be evicted from her home. She said the person who instructed her to put the cat in the bucket suggested the animal would escape once the bucket was thrown. Regg also said she has been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I cried, I cried,” she said, recalling her emotions when she found out the cat died. “I am so remorseful for these actions. Everyone who knows me knows I’m an animal lover. I admit I put it in the bucket. I don’t admit that I purposely harmed anything.”

(Oneonta Daily Star - Sept 28, 2015)

China: Kittens covered in yellow paint and abandoned at side of road

CHINA -- Two kittens were rescued after being covered from head to toe in yellow paint and abandoned at the side of a road.

Kind-hearted Yue You Meng, 27, said she heard the kittens calling when she was walking near her home in the city of Guangzhou in southern China's Guangdong province.

She said, "I realized the sound was coming from a cardboard box and when I opened it up I saw the two kittens inside covered in sticky yellow paint.

"It had almost dried and their legs were stuck together, they were stuck together, and even their eyes had been closed by the paint. 

"They were in pitiful state so I picked up the box and took them home where I tried to clean off some of the paint."

But the task proved impossible so the next day she took the kittens to an animal shelter where a vet worked painstakingly for several hours to slowly remove the dry paint.

 

She said, "They are better now and can walk around and don't seem to have suffered any permanent damage to their eyes or ears but they still look really poorly because they had so much fur cut off."

China has NO ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS so police are not investigating the incident and it's unclear whether the kittens were accidentally covered in paint and abandoned or deliberately targeted before being dumped to die.

(Mirror UK - March 26, 2015)

Cat spray-painted orange dies; Reward offered for info leading to arrest

PENNSYLVANIA -- A cat that was found spray-painted in a Mercer County neighborhood has died, and police are searching to find those responsible.

A family in Hermitage told authorities they had been feeding the cat for several months, and they were shocked when it showed up at their door one day painted bright orange.

The cat was immediately taken to a vet’s office, but died a short time later.

Humane officers believe fumes from the spray paint caused the animal’s death.

A reward, thanks to private donations, of $800 is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

“I’m really proud of the community we have in Mercer County. There are a lot of people out there willing to help,” Mercer County Humane Officer Tom Swartz said.

Police said the crime is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

(WPXI - Oct 4, 2013)

Mark Jackson Crews, 31, charged with animal cruelty for spray-painting turtle, cat

FLORIDA -- A Baker County man was arrested earlier this month after a turtle and a cat were found spray painted.

On May 9, police were called to a home in the 500 block of Ivy Street for an animal complaint. A dark-colored cat had been spray painted silver. A turtle was later found painted the same color.

Mark Jackson Crews, 31

Mark Jackson Crews, 31, admitted to spray painting that cat but said he thought it was a stray. He also confessed to spray painting the turtle.

He was charged with cruelty to animals.

(ActionNewsJax.com - May 24, 2013)

New York: Box turtle spray painted; neighbors blame local construction crew

NEW YORK -- A box turtle that has for years crawled through backyards in Williamsburg was discovered last week painted a sickly orange, with neighbors blaming construction workers next door with ample time and spray paint on their hands.

Photos of the poor turtle, known as Myrtle, in her new Technicolor shell were first posted on the blog The Gowanus Lounge, and caused a cascade of vitriol on the site.

“Whoever did this should rot in hell,” wrote one commenter. “We live in a world of sociopaths,” commented another.

Myrtle the Turtle was discovered painted orange in a backyard next to a development that has long been an irritant to longtime residents. They have complained of demolition work, cracks appearing in the walls of their homes, and ripped out phone and cable lines.

The developer of the residential project at 5 Roebling Street, Shlomo Karpen, could not be reached for commen

(Vos Iz Neias - May 5, 2008)

Animal cruelty in Pittsburgh: Cat found covered in white latex paint

PENNSYLVANIA -- Who would apply white paint to the black fur of a cat?  If you know the answer, you could be in line to get a $500 reward.

The cat also appears to be solid black, though that's hard to determine because so much of her body, including her face, is coated with white paint.

"We're not sure whether this was an accident or done intentionally," said Mark Berton, communications director at the league. "We think it was intentional because of the extent of the coverage."

Shelter workers bathed the cat with dish detergent, but the bath didn't make a dent in the paint.

 

"We're letting her relax and settle down" before trying another kind of bath, Mr. Berton said. "We'll probably try a nontoxic paint remover, which we'd test first on a small portion of fur."

If the paint cannot be removed, the cat will have to be shaved.

The cat is friendly and affectionate with the shelter staff, but is clearly uncomfortable because the paint-drenched fur pulls and pinches when she moves, Mr. Berton said. Fortunately, the paint is latex.

The veterinary staff thinks the cat would probably be dead had an oil-based paint been applied.

A staff veterinarian also said the cat is lactating, meaning she recently had a litter of kittens.

Animal Control got a call about the painted cat and picked her up, Mr. Berton said. Anyone with information should call the shelter at

About two years ago, the shelter took in a cat that had been sprayed with blue paint. That cat did not have as much paint on its fur and the staff was able to simply cut off outer layers of fur to remove the paint. That cat was later adopted. out to a home.

(Post Gazette - February 17, 2006)

Florida: Bail denied for veterinarian Cathy Crighton in case of stolen horses that were painted with Rust-Oleum to disguise them

FLORIDA -- Bail was denied Wednesday in a Florida courtroom for a Palos Heights veterinarian accused of stealing two expensive show horses from southwest suburban stables last fall and a third from Florida about five weeks ago.

Cathy Crighton, 44, has been charged with grand theft for allegedly stealing the horses and with dealing in stolen property for allegedly selling one of the Illinois horses to an unsuspecting buyer in Florida about two weeks ago.

he also is charged with theft of saddles and equestrian equipment found in her Wellington, Fla., condominium and in a stable where she kept the stolen horses, according to police.

Crighton applied Rust-Oleum paint to one horse's lower legs and face in an effort to obscure its identifying marks, police said.

The horses were recovered in Wellington last weekend, and the two animals from suburban Chicago headed home Wednesday by horse trailer, according to their owners.

Last Monday a Palm Beach County judge ordered that Crighton undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Results of an evaluation have not been made public.


Crighton is accused of stealing a Swedish Warmblood horse named Keller from an Orland Township stable and a horse named Scooby-Doo from Wilmington in September, and transporting them to Florida, where she kept them in rented stables.

On Jan. 21 she is alleged to have stolen a horse named San Diego from a stable in Wellington, an equestrian community in Palm Beach County.

(Chicago Tribune - March 6, 2003)

Earlier:

• Florida: Veterinarian Cathy Crighton, 44, charged with stealing show horses and painting them a different color
• Florida: Painting of stolen horses with Rust-Oleum led to arrest of veterinarian Cathy Crighton

Florida: Painting of stolen horses with Rust-Oleum led to arrest of veterinarian Cathy Crighton

FLORIDA -- A stable owner in south Florida cautioned a veterinarian about yelling at people on an equestrian trail near the barn and wondered why she kept a horse under a blanket in 80-degree weather.

But what really drew suspicion to the former Palos Park vet was trying to camouflage white markings on expensive show horses with Rust-Oleum paint.

Cathy Crighton was charged over the weekend with stealing two horses in Illinois and a third in Florida, and dealing in stolen property for allegedly selling one of the Illinois horses to an unsuspecting buyer. She also is charged with stealing a horse trailer and two saddles.

The two Chicago-area horses that disappeared in the fall were being prepared for a trip home by trailer on Tuesday or Wednesday.

"I'm ecstatic, but I'm in shock," said Jolene Novak-Racevicius of New Lenox, whose horse Keller was stolen Oct. 8 from the Top Brass Horse Farm in Orland Township. "I'm happy to have her back, but I'm sad about the way she was treated. I was told she's underweight and very shy from being abused."

Crighton, 44, formerly known as Cathy Mance, was being held Monday in the Palm Beach County Jail in Florida. She was placed on suicide watch after she put her head in a toilet, sheriff's deputies said, and a county judge has ordered her to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. She is scheduled for a bail hearing Wednesday, sheriff's investigator Sgt. Michael Wingate said.

He said Crighton admitted stealing a horse from a New Lenox owner but claimed she only picked up the other Illinois horse and the Florida horse when she found them wandering.

Crighton quickly drew the attention of stable owner Sohail Shahzada, whom she approached Jan. 22, the morning after the Florida horse was stolen, saying she desperately needed a place for a horse that was being delivered that day from Chicago, Shahzada said.

Shahzada noticed Crighton avoiding people passing near the barn on a public equestrian trail, he said.

"Every night my neighbor passes my barn walking her Great Dane, and I noticed that Dr. Crighton got nervous every time she passed, and two or three times she screamed at her to get off the property," Shahzada said. "I asked her, please, don't scream at my neighbors, they are nice people and they are on a public path," he said.

Within a few weeks Crighton brought two other horses to his stable, which were found to be the missing Illinois horses, he said.

"One day I went out to the barn and found her putting Rust-Oleum paint on the horse's face, with a brush. Now that just didn't make sense. I'm no expert on horses, but I know what Rust-Oleum is for, and it's not for horses," Shahzada said.

Wingate said Shahzada was surprised by Crighton's poor treatment of the animals and became suspicious when he heard that a horse had been stolen nearby. He found the missing horse's trainer, who identified the horse, and police were called, Shahzada said.

(Chicago Tribune - March 4, 2003)

Earlier:

• Florida: Veterinarian Cathy Crighton, 44, charged with stealing show horses and painting them a different color

Florida: Veterinarian Cathy Crighton, 44, charged with stealing show horses and painting them a different color

FLORIDA -- A veterinarian from Palos Park has been charged with stealing three expensive show horses from suburban Chicago and Florida, according to a spokesman with the Palm Beach County records office.

Cathy Crighton, 44, was arrested Saturday in Wellington, Fla., while trying to use black enamel paint to cover distinguishing white marks on the legs and faces of the animals, Palm Beach County investigators told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Among the horses recovered was a $50,000 Swedish Warmblood named Keller, which was taken from a stable in Orland Township last fall, officials said.

Crighton's bail was set at $5,000. She remained in the Palm Beach County Jail Sunday and has been charged with burglary of a structure and grand theft.

Crighton had cared for Keller, which belonged to Jolene Novak-Racevicius', before the award-winning horse was stolen in October. Shortly before the theft, the two had a falling out, Novak-Racevicius said, "so I decided not to use her any more."

When police went to Crighton's home to question her, Novak-Racevicius said, the veterinarian had her home up for sale and had left the state.

(Chicago Tribune - March 3, 2003)