A notorious B.C. animal abuser has been found guilty for breaching her probation, according to B.C. Court Services records.
Catherine Adams and her mother, Karin, were convicted of animal cruelty in 2015 following an SPCA investigation which included a 20-year ban on owning animals.
She received 15 days in jail, a six-month conditional house arrest, and two years' of probation for that offense.
On July 4, 2018, the SPCA once again found 16 dogs in distress on a property in Quesnel.
A German shepherd, a Yorkshire terrier, a retriever, bull terriers, standard poodles, Portuguese water dogs, a Pekingese, corgi-border collie crosses, and miniature pinschers were all in crates too small for their sizes and were also in a poorly ventilated area, with little or no access to water and feces/urine-soaked matting.
Catherine and her mom were the keepers of the animals.
Catherine's trial (a judge only) for breaching her probation orders started on May 16 of this year; Adams was representing herself and entered a plea of not guilty.
According to records today (July 16), Adams was found guilty and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 26, 2019, for a Pre-Sentence Report.
A Pre-Sentence Report is used in adult court only when a report is requested by the court after a finding of "guilt."
The B.C. Prosecution Service confirmed to PrinceGeorgeMatters that Adams failed to comply with her conditions in regards to owning animals.
"Catherine Jessica ADAMS, on or about the 29th day of June, 2018, at or near Quesnel, in the Province of British Columbia, while bound by a probation order made by The Honourable Judge C A Struyk on October 15, 2015, did without reasonable excuse fail to comply with such order by failing to "Condition 7: I am prohibiting you from owning or having custody or control of an animal. You shall not engage in activities or employment where you are required to care for animals as a function of that activity or employment", contrary to Section 733.1(1) of the Criminal Code."
(via B.C. Court Services)The 2015 sentence for Catherine stemmed from a B.C. SPCA investigation in which constables seized a total of 53 animals which included 18 horses, 18 large and small breed dogs, 15 birds, and two cats from their property near Houston, B.C.
The SPCA also removed 104 fish that were kept in "filthy conditions."
Her mother also pled guilty to causing or permitting an animal to be in distress.
The judge in the case also ordered each of them to pay $5,456 each in restitution to the B.C. SPCA to offset the animals care costs.
The horses, in particular, were kept in what the B.C. SPCA called "deplorable conditions" with overcrowding, inadequate and unsanitary shelter and little or no access to food.
“Many were underweight and several had overgrown hooves and suspected parasites,” Marcie Moriarty, Chief Prevention and Enforcement Officer for the B.C. SPCA said in a release.
She also noted that two of the horses were so malnourished that they had been eating a large section of wood from the back wall of a shed in an attempt to survive.
“It is extremely frustrating when we deal with repeat offenders, particularly those who breach the terms of their sentencing,” Moriarty said in a release. “However, we are pleased that these dogs are now safe and are getting the attention and care they need.”
