Lawyer defends woman’s care for cats

    The Bedford woman who had more than 40 cats removed from her home earlier this month has “a heart of gold” and is concerned deeply about taking care of animals that have been abandoned, according to her attorney, Philip Baker of Lynchburg.

Tom Wilmoth

Bedford Police removed more than 40 cats from the home of Carolyn Creasy earlier this month.

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    Carolyn Andrews Creasy, who faces four charges related to her having the cats in her home, is appreciative of the support she’s received since they were removed on June 16, Baker said. “She’s been a caretaker for animals for many years,” he said, adding that Creasy actually has a kennel set up in Bedford County. Baker said Creasy was in the process of having that expanded to house the animals that were being kept at her home, prior to them being taken by the Bedford Police and being placed with several area agencies.
    “That has been an ongoing project,” he said.
    Baker stressed that Creasy has taken care  of  the animals she helps and noted there are veterinarian records to back that up. Creasy’s goal, he said, is to nurse the abandoned animals back to health and find good homes for them. That, he said, has been her entire motivation.
    Baker said his client ended up taking in quite a few animals this year that were in poor health. He said local veterinarians and others in the community will vouch for her commitment to caring for the animals.
    “There are a lot of folks in the Bedford community who have been very appreciative of the efforts she’s made,” he said.
    The real problem, according to Baker, are those pet owners who fail to get their animals spayed or neutered and then dump their unwanted pets.
    “She cares deeply about the bird with the broken wing and the dog that’s not been fed,” Baker said of Creasy. He stressed that any charges she faces should not reflect a lack of care taking for the animals. “She has a good heart and she’s doing good for the animals.”
    Creasy has been charged with two counts of animal cruelty or neglect, one count of failing to vaccinate for rabies and one count of owning more than five animals within the city of Bedford. The animals were taken from her home—Creasy signed a release allowing police to take the 42 cats—following an anonymous call to police about the excessive number of cats she had in her mobile home on Woodside Court. The Bedford Humane Society and Angels of Assisi helped with placement of the cats.
    Baker said Creasy hasn’t been cruel to the animals in “any way, shape or form.”
    “Her primary motivation was to caretake for the animals (that had been) abandoned,” he said.
    A city ordinance in Bedford limits the number of animals residents can keep at their home.