The court case against Springfield, OR resident and long time Persian cat breeder Betty Gould came to an abrupt end on Thursday when, in a surprise move, she took a plea deal in advance of her trial, which was scheduled for next week. The animal seller avoided jail time but got probation and a multi-year ban on owning cats.
Gould was originally charged with aggravated abuse and abandonment when she was arrested a few days after a witness said she saw her toss a trash bag containing two cats into the Wilamette River on November 30, 2012. The witness called police and the cats were rescued from rushing floodwaters. Thankfully, the bag had snagged on a tree branch, giving officers time to arrive on the scene before it was swept away. The cats survived and have been adopted together by Georgene Hoester, of Eugene.
Springfield Animal Control Officer Brian Austin was able to identify the Calico Persian cats as Gould’s by matching them against their photos at her Snowbunnies Persians website. Officer Austin told local TV news station KEZI that his department had received numerous complaints about Gould over the years from dissatisfied customers but had been unable to act on the complaints. Past incidents of area residents finding abandoned Persians, including two others rescued from the river, came to light as Gould’s operation came under public scrutiny.
Thursday’s hearing was held quietly to avoid the attention of those activists and members of the community closely following the case. Gould pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor aggravated abuse charges but did not admit guilt. The abandonment charges were dropped. She will not face jail time, but will instead be on probation for three years and must pay a $1,500 fine. She is not allowed to own domestic pets for the next 15 years.
Gould’s attorney James Kolstoe acknowledged that public interest in the case contributed to Gould’s decision to take the deal rather than face trial, saying “People do react emotionally to these kinds of things, and that has to be factored in when you think about whether or not to take something to trial.”
Petitions asking for rigorous prosecution and the removal of any cats still in Gould’s possession were said to have had an impact on the decision.
The fate and whereabouts of the 50-60 cats in Gould’s possession at the time of her arrest remains unknown and a topic of concern for advocates. Gould at one point agreed to relinquish the animals, then changed her mind. Officer Austin visited her home on Thursday afternoon and found that the cats were all gone. Gould says she gave them to breeders and friends in recent weeks.
Advocates plan to monitor classified listings going forward to make sure Gould is not still selling her cats.
Those who wanted to see Gould receive jail time were disappointed with the results of the plea deal, but are pleased that the 62 year old woman will not be allowed to have cats for the next 15 years.
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Springfield Animal Control made the following statement on the resolution of the case:
To all interested parties regarding the plea agreement in the Betty Gould case: Our department views the decision of the Springfield Municipal Court and Prosecutor Cox as a huge victory in that Ms. Gould is prohibited from owning any domesticated animals for 15 years. Unfortunately, with our current jail system, long-term incarceration for this crime was unrealistic. Because of the level of crime, the sentence would have been carried out in Lane County Jail, which most local residents know is overcrowded and regularly releasing inmates. Our department has zero input on who is released based off their matrix system. We made a swift arrest and put together a great case with the help of the witnesses and several community members. Things didn’t go exactly as planned regarding the remaining cats, but the outcome of this case accomplished the most vital part which our department plans to continue to monitor.
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See our earlier posts, Persian Breeder Charged for Trying to Drown Cats: Advocates Mount Campaign, Embattled Persian Breeder Agrees to Surrender Cats and Petitions Seek Rigorous Prosection of Persian Cat Breeder Accused of Attempted Drownings
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This woman is dIsgusting – no remorse and you have to wonder what she did with the rest of those poor cats 🙁