- Virginia, USA -
UPDATE on 53-year-old LISA HOKAJ-ROSS (pictured below).
On Tuesday, December 1, Circuit Court Judge Kevin Duffan SENTENCED HOKAJ-ROSS to only 24 DAYS in a jail in Virginia Beach, a day for each of the 24 animal cruelty charges against her.
HOKAJ-ROSS was also ordered to pay more than $6,000 to animal control.
The defendant was charged one count for each of the 23 sick cats and one dog found in her Virginia Beach home in March 2019.
On August 18, 2020, she had pleaded guilty to the charges.
She also agreed to undergo mental health treatment, not to own any pets for 10 years and to allow animal control officers to make unannounced visits to her home.
~ Original story:
In March 2019, animal control officers executed a search warrant at HOKAJ-ROSS’s home in Virginia Beach.
Officers discovered twenty-three sick cats who had to be euthanized.
The poor furbabies had a contagious virus.
Other dead animals, including a duck, kittens, possums, rabbits, and squirrels, were found in her garage.
Some of them were found in freezers, according to 13 News Now.
Animal control conducted similar searches at the female’s home in the past when they found dead and live animals.
Local 12 reports that in 2015, HOKAJ-ROSS “was accused of trying to break into a Virginia Beach Animal Control building to take cats.”
Back in August her defense attorney, Bassel Khalaf, had said that his client “loves animals” and never intended to harm them.
When handing down his sentence on Tuesday, judge Duffan said: “If this was your first time getting in trouble like this then I might see it differently. But this isn't the first time. This is at least the third time you've been in this position.”
Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that HOKAJ-ROSS told the judge she takes responsibility for what happened but is only guilty of caring too much.
She also said that it has been difficult to deal with the animal cruelty convictions and added: “It's completely the opposite of who I am. If anyone can accuse me of anything it's that I have too big a heart.”
I would like to remind HOKAJ-ROSS that it was also difficult for the animals to be sick instead of having a chance to get medical treatment and many are dead!
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