Free Republic

WILKES-BARRE – Attorneys for a woman accused of piercing the bodies of three stray kittens have asked a judge to dismiss the case, saying that charges of cruelty to animals and criminal conspiracy are “unconstitutionally vague.” Lawyers for Holly Crawford, 34, of Dobson Road, Ross Township, filed court papers Tuesday asking for the dismissal, stating prosecutors “failed to provide reasonable notice of the conduct” that Crawford is charged with. Three counts each of cruelty to animals and criminal conspiracy were filed after humane officers and state police searched Crawford’s home on Dec. 17 and seized three kittens with ear, neck...

ROSS TWP. – Three kittens with ear, neck and tail piercings were removed from a home by humane officers on Wednesday. One of the officers from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne County said the pierced kittens were being sold as “gothic kittens” on an Internet auction site. “This is a first,” said Officer Carol Morrison. “It’s unbelievable anybody would do this to kittens.” Morrison said the investigation began about a week ago when a man from another state noticed “gothic kittens” being sold on eBay. The kittens were also being sold on a pet...

SHICKSHINNY (PA)– Two people who allegedly pierced three kittens that they marketed as “gothic kittens” on Web sites are facing animal cruelty charges. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne County filed six counts of cruelty to animals and three counts of criminal conspiracy against Holly Crawford, 34, of Dobson Road, Ross Township, and William Blansett, age unknown, of Sweet Valley, on Tuesday. The charges were filed with District Judge John Hasay in Shickshinny and mailed to Crawford and Blansett. Humane officers with assistance from the state police at Shickshinny executed a search warrant at Crawford’s...