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The Stark couple must pay prison and fines for leaving 25 cats in a storage room

MASSILLON – A couple has been sentenced to prison and fined for leaving about 25 cats without food or water in a Jackson Township storage unit.

A Jackson Township police officer's complaint states that six to 12 cats were crammed into each cage when they were left at the Whipple Avenue building at 8:36 p.m. on July 20.

“The animals were covered in their own feces and had visible injuries and signs of neglect,” said the police document filed in Massillon Municipal Court.

Court records do not reveal what happened to the cats after they were rescued.

The couple was homeless at the time of the crime, according to court records, and now lives in Plain Township.

Massillon City Judge Edward J. Elum found both the 46-year-old man and 43-year-old woman guilty of misdemeanor pet-related prohibition, a second-degree misdemeanor, after they entered guilty pleas of no contest on Tuesday.

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He sentenced both to 90 days in jail. All but 23 days were suspended, leaving 10 days to be served. Elum gave each of them credit for the 13 days they had already spent in Stark County Jail. Each of them must pay a $100 fine. Both will spend five years on probation. They are prohibited from keeping pets.

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The accused woman handed the cats over to the Stark County Humane Society, said Jackie Godbey, executive director of the agency.

“Some of them are still here waiting for their forever homes,” she said. “They were all very sweet.”

Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or [email protected]. On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.

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