A former resident received a 90-day suspended sentence for hoarding nearly 70 cats in his Boulder City mobile home in 2019.
Terry Chastain made no objection to an animal override, injury, abandonment, or starvation offense at an April 27 hearing in the Boulder Township Judicial Court. The indictment dated August 23, 2019, when Boulder City animal control officers began rescuing cats from his home at a local mobile home park.
Judge Victor Miller sentenced Chastain to 90 days in prison, which he suspended. He ordered Chastain to get a mental health assessment and follow the recommendations for a year. In addition, Chastain must provide evidence that he moved from Boulder City and update his driver’s license with the new address.
If Chastain doesn’t meet these requirements, he could face 90 days in prison.
Miller posted a status check on Chastain at 1:00 p.m. on July 20.
Ann Inabnitt, animal control manager in Boulder City, said she and other animal control officers were required to wear protective suits and respirators because of the conditions in Chastain’s home. She said the conditions on the trailer were unhealthy and the property was a loss.
The 67 cats that were recovered from the property were in need of long-term care, and 13 of them are still at the shelter. First, 43 cats were rescued on August 23, 2019. Inabnitt said she had to catch feral cats in the area for three weeks after that date, and 24 more cats were found.
Inabnitt said she had to rinse many of the cats’ eyes because they were affected by the high levels of ammonia in the trailer from the ubiquitous urine. Some were also covered in excrement.
She said her department spent thousands of dollars caring for these animals.
Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.
