Animal Law
- 1. Carriage Horse Protection in New York City
- 2. New York Beats Animal Abuse
- 3. Beware of Breed Bans
- 4. Calgary's Animal Laws Win the Gold
- 5. Animal Welfare Law in New York
- 6. Lab Animal Protection Under Fire
- 7. Humane Law Enforcement in Illinois
- 8. Legal Rights for Animals
- 9. Dangerous Dog Legislation
New York Beats Animal Abuse
Robyn M. Watts, Esq.
Very few of those inside Sing Sing Correctional Facility have freely chosen to live there, but a feral cat decided to make the prison in Westchester County, New York, her home. A couple of inmates and prison guards on cellblock B readily adopted the cat and gave her the name Midnight for her jet-black coat. Not long after she was adopted, Midnight gave birth to a litter of five underneath the bunk of one of the inmates. But the kittens were killed just 10 days after they were born. Sadly, the kittens were the victims of severe animal abuse—not at the hands of a convicted prisoner, but by a corrections officer on cellblock B.
In March 2001, Sergeant Ronald Hunlock came across a bag of goods in one of the inmate’s cells and demanded to know where it came from. When the inmate refused to give him the information, an angry Hunlock searched the cell and came across Midnight and her litter under the bunk. Hunlock ordered the inmate to put Midnight and her kittens in a box and then ordered him to put the box in the trash compactor. The inmate re-fused. So Hunlock did it himself, throwing the box with Midnight and her kittens into the compactor and turning it on. The kittens were immediately crushed to death, but at the last moment, Midnight managed to escape unharmed.
An Unusual Case
Many law enforcement agents have close and loving relationships with animals, like those who work with search and rescue and bomb-sniffing dogs, but it’s not unusual for the ASPCA to learn of instances where law enforcement personnel are accused of abusing their power and mistreating animals. Sometimes these cases of animal abuse are swept under the rug and often go unpunished. But the case against Hunlock is unique because he was actually charged with animal cruelty, the case went to trial and he was convicted. The Westchester County District Attorney, Jeanine Pirro, is to thank. She takes
animal abuse seriously. When an inmate informed her office of Hunlock’s actions, she conducted an independent investigation and found the evidence against the prison guard overwhelming.
Hunlock’s case was one of the first to go to trial under the new felony animal abuse law in New York State. Most animal abuse cases end in a plea bargain, but Pirro knew she had a strong case against Hunlock. On the advice of Assistant District Attorney Lynn Rosenthal, who at one time had been an advisor for ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement, Pirro had the veterinarians at the “A” examine Midnight for evidence in the case. In addition to the testimony provided by ASPCA veterinarian Ellen Hirshberg and the accompanying pictures of her deceased kittens, inmates and even other corrections officers from cellblock B willingly testified against Hunlock (which is unusual for a police brutality case).
During the trial, Hunlock took the stand. Though he couldn’t deny putting the cats in the compactor because there were so many witnesses, he claimed that Midnight and her kittens were very sick and he was humanely euthanizing them. Of course, he was unable to produce any evidence of their alleged illness. Hirshberg countered Hunlock’s defense, testifying that Midnight was in good physical condition. Midnight even made a guest appearance in court.
Everybody Loves A Happy Ending
Despite the strong case against Hunlock, Pirro and Rosenthal worried that animal abuse would not be taken seriously in the courtroom. To the surprise of many, the reverse occurred: Thanks to letters written by Sing Sing inmates to various news organizations, Pirro’s office received over 5,000 letters of support for their well-publicized prosecution from people all over the world. At the conclusion of the trial, Westchester County Judge Peter M. Leavitt found Hunlock guilty of five felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor count of attempted aggravated cruelty to animals. As a result, Hunlock automatically lost his job of 21 years, along with his entire pension. Then, on March 19, 2002, he was sentenced to one year in prison.
But there’s an even happier ending to this story. Though Hunlock now finds himself living in a prison, Midnight has been adopted by ASPCA veterinary technician, Dotty Oneto.
Robyn M. Watts, Esq., is a consultant on issues of animal rights and animal cruelty.
© 2002 ASPCA
ASPCA Animal Watch - Summer 2002
Courtesy of
ASPCA
424 East 92nd St.
New York, NY 10128-6804
(212) 876-7700
www.aspca.org
Next in
How You Can Help Pets: Animal Law:
Beware of Breed Bans
EMAIL
SHARE
