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Mid Hudson Times , Wednesday , November 23 , 2016
Feral cats reign on Van Cleft Avenue
In Brief
A colony of feral cats have made 14 Van Cleft their home .
Continued from page 1
2015 .
Most of the cats were eventually taken away by shelters , said Brooks , but some were left behind . “ They were taking advantage of him ,” he said , referring to the elderly homeowner , who has since passed .
The cat problem appears to have resurfaced . The former homeowner ’ s son , Michael Santucci , who now lives at the home , could not be reached for comment this week . “ He likes cats ,” said Brooks .
There is no fence on Brooks ’ property and the cats relieve themselves where they choose . “ You walk around enough , you ’ re going to step in it ,” Brooks said . “ And , it smells .
To complicate matters , Brooks ’ wife operates a daycare center . The Starting Point Day Care center is a small , daycare facility Sandy Brooks operates out of their home . An outdoor playground on Brooks ’ property is located about 40 feet away from the cat house .
Animal rescue professionals say feral cats pose a threat to children , in general . “ They still get rabies , fleas , ticks ,” said Project Cat ’ s Gail Mihocko , and they often “ die by some horrible means ,” including disease .
At a work session of the Newburgh City Council this month , Mihocko introduced Project Cat - an Accordbased , nonprofit on a mission to alleviate the suffering of cats by providing rescue , shelter and humane care .
“ The big one that is really ( concerning ), especially next to a daycare center , is Toxoplasmosis ,” Mihocko explained , a zoonotic disease caused by infection of the
Toxoplasma gondii parasite .
When contracted by pregnant women , the disease can cause stillbirth . The Mayo Clinic states babies exposed to the disease in utero may later develop seizures , enlarged livers and spleens , jaundice and severe eye infections . Hearing loss , mental disability and eye infections may appear in teen years and even later .
But , some members of the council balked when Mihocko explained the nonprofit would “ humanely euthanize ” cats who were too sick or unadoptable for others reasons . A resolution to hire the nonprofit to address the problem on Van Cleft was tabled . “ I ’ m probably not going to vote for this tonight ,” Councilwoman Regina Angelo warned . “ I ’ m a cat lover .”
Members of T . A . R . A , The Animal Rights Alliance , also addressed the issue at City Hall last week . “ We love these animals ,” said T . A . R . A . co-founder Steve Tardif . “ We try to take them off the street and get them into wonderful homes .”
A key goal of the nonprofit has been to eliminate killings taking place in animal shelters , said Tardif . He offered up the group ’ s assistance as a more humane way of dealing with the city ’ s feral-cat problem .
T . A . R . A . member Lisa McEwen said the vast majority of feral cats are healthy animals . But , the cats on Van Cleft Avenue looked anything but healthy . “ I hope something gets done about it soon ,” Brooks said .
The Newburgh City Council is expected to vote on a solution to the feral cat dilemma at its next regular meeting on Nov . 28 .
Newburgh man faces gun charges
A City of Newburgh man was arrested early Tuesday morning and faces multiple charges stemming from a domestic dispute .
On Tuesday at approximately 12:44 am , City of Newburgh Police responded to a report of a possible domestic dispute on Williams St . with a female being held against her will .
Upon arrival patrol officers meet two males trying to leave the apartment building . Both males were stopped to be interviewed about the possible domestic dispute .
Kingsley Johnson After it was learned that Kingsley Johnson , 26 , had
an arrest warrant out of the City of Newburgh for Criminal Contempt 1st a felony and Harassment 2nd a violation , he was detained . During the investigation into this incident a loaded 45 caliber handgun that was stolen out of the City of Newburgh was recovered inside the home .
Johnson was charged with the arrest warrant in addition to Criminal Possession of a weapon 2nd , Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 4th both felonies , Criminal Contempt 2nd a misdemeanor and Harassment 2nd , a violation .
Newburgh man killed in New Windsor crash
Town of New Windsor Police received a report at about 7 a . m ., Monday of a vehicle accident that had occurred in the area of 1214 River Road .
It appeared that the vehicle had been northbound earlier in the morning when it drove off the shoulder of the roadway . The vehicle then overturned and came to a rest in front of 1220 River Road .
The driver , Richard Carlucci , 24 of Newburgh , was dead at the scene . There were no other passengers in the vehicle .
The circumstances and cause of the accident are currently being investigated by the Town of New Windsor Police Department ’ s Detective Division and the Accident Reconstruction Unit .
Anyone with information or that may have witnessed the accident is urged to call the police department at 845-565-7000 .