| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
LA man pleads no contest to animal cruelty charges
Tuesday June 17, 2003LOS ANGELES (AP) A man who kept more than three dozen neglected cats in a San Fernando Valley motel room pleaded no contest Tuesday to three animal cruelty charges.
Phillip Appleman, 42, could face up to 18 months in jail and $60,000 in fines when he is sentenced July 17. Three dozen other charges, including animal cruelty and animal neglect, are expected to be dropped, said Deputy City Attorney Don Cocek.
Animal care workers removed the 39 malnourished cats from a room at the Tangiers Motel last August. The animals, some with open wounds, had signs of feline AIDS and leukemia. The felines also had severe cases of ear mites, fleas and upper respiratory disease.
Some of the cats were treated for the diseases, but 17 were later euthanized, Cocek said.
Appleman was not supposed to have any animals in his room. He said his girlfriend recently left him and he had been unable to keep up with the animals' care.
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