An animal rights group says it’s disappointed with the sentence handed down for a guilty plea to cruelty charges filed against a Blairsville-area woman.
In late June, 45-year-old Kimberly Rose pleaded guilty to four counts of cruelty to animals and six neglect-related counts in connection with an investigation that started in 2022. Police had charged her along with 63-year-old Pamela Curry of Blairsville in connection with allegations that hundreds of cats in their care were housed in poor conditions in a mobile home and in outdoor sheds. Rose was the president of the Cat Aid Network in Derry Township and oversaw the shelter, while Curry served as the shelter’s treasurer. In September of 2022, investigators found 13 dead cats at the property and unsanitary conditions on the property that lead to the surviving cats suffering from various health problems. Humane agents took over 200 cats into protective care.
Westmoreland County Judge Michael Stewart II ordered that Rose serve eight years of probation as part of a negotiated plea deal and is not allowed to own any animals during that time.
The group In Defense of Animals out of California is saying that the plea bargain and sentence are too lenient. They believe that Rose should not have been allowed to plead guilty to lesser charges, and that the deal did not represent the cruelty inflicted on the cats at the shelter. A spokesperson for the Westmoreland County DA’s office said that the sentence reflected the fact that Rose accepted accountability for her actions.
Curry’s case is still pending. She is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on August 1st.
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