SerpApi.Org
A 77-year-old Florida woman and U.S. Postal Service employee has been arrested after officials found nearly 100 cats and dogs being hoarded in her home.
Gail Giustino is facing misdemeanor charges for animal cruelty and confinement of animals without sufficient exercise, according to a Facebook post Tuesday from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. She was held on a $50,000 bond after her arrest.
Sheriff John Budensiek held a news conference regarding the incident as Martin County’s Animal Services, the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast and the county’s hazmat team rescued 80 cats and 12 dogs from the home in southwest Stuart. He said authorities weren’t trying to “bury her under the jail” because they believe “Gail thinks she’s doing the right thing” but may not have the mental capacity to properly care for the animals.
An update Wednesday noted that officials have identified owners of five of the rescued animals, and continue to work to identify others. None of the animals found were deceased.
“Quite frankly, I don’t know how,” Budensiek said. “Squalor conditions. Again it was 100 plus degree in there. There was zero ventilation in that house until Fire/Rescue started opening up windows and running fans in there.”
Officials said the investigation began after someone reported two weeks ago that a U.S. postal worker had stolen a cat. Instead, officials discovered she was simply gathering feral cats along her postal route, which led authorities to Giustino’s house.
After the report, investigators looked into her history and saw there was “a lot of animal activity” there in the home beginning about 10 years ago. Over the years, she had received 65 citations regarding what was happening with the animals on her property.
She had complied with the citations by adding window air conditioning units since the home did not have central AC. He admitted authorities had not made it a habit of checking in over the last decade, but that “she’s progressively accumulated more stuff.”
Once they received the complaint about the postal worker, they sprang into action.
Sheriff Budensiek said it’s one of the worst cases of animal hoarding ever seen in the county.
“(There was) no air conditioning, no ventilation. She never walks the pets,” he said. “She never brings them outside the house so, they’ve been to confined to animal jail.”
He made note that the two criminal charges were done so they could get the animals out of the home and get her some help.
“We could’ve charged her with 160 counts,” he said. “We don’t want her in jail.”
