The former treasurer of a Derry Township animal shelter pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor neglect charge related to the mistreatment of dozens of animals.
Pamela Curry, 65, of Blairsville was sentenced to one year of probation as part of a plea deal. The agreement comes nearly three years after humane officials discovered 87 sick cats at the Cat Aid Network. Authorities said the deaths of 13 felines were attributed to abuse they received at the rescue, which housed the animals in a mobile home and outdoor sheds.
During a September 2022 raid, humane officers and veterinarians found unsanitary conditions, with urine, feces, trash and fleas covering the interior of the mobile home. Cats were diagnosed with respiratory issues, diarrhea, infections, parasites, mouth ulcers, untreated dental disease and malnutrition. Police said more than 200 cats were eventually rescued from the organization.
Curry told a Justice Rescue Humane Society police officer that conditions had been deteriorating for some time and that the animals were in need of medical attention, according to court records.
The organization’s president, Kimberly Rose, pleaded guilty last June to 10 criminal charges, including three felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. Rose was sentenced to eight years of probation. Court records indicate Curry had sought to cooperate with prosecutors during the case against Rose.
Curry’s plea to one misdemeanor charge of neglect of animals was entered a day before her nonjury trial was scheduled to begin before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart II.
As a condition of her sentence, Curry is barred from working in any animal-related jobs during her probation. The judge ruled she can continue to care for the animals currently living in her home. Prosecutors dismissed nine other charges, including four felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty.
In Defense of Animals, a California-based advocacy group, previously criticized Rose’s plea deal as too lenient.
“Justice should not depend on someone’s intentions, but on the suffering they caused,” the group said in a statement. “Sentences must reflect the severity of the harm caused since they may be the only deterrent for future shocking cases.”
Police said Rose conceded in text messages that she failed the cats in her care and that the situation had grown beyond her control. The advocacy group did not immediately comment on Curry’s plea deal.