Hours after a shocking scene at the Toronto Humane Society where police rounded up top officials on animal cruelty charges, the president defended himself and his staff against the disturbing accusations.
THS President Tim Trow and the four other managers emerged from Toronto Police’s 52 Division early Friday after being processed following their arrests.
“The Toronto Humane Society is a wonderful place where no cruelty occurs, where nobody does anything but try as hard as they can to help animals," Trow said just after midnight.
“I've dedicated most of my adult life to animal welfare. I've never done anything but treat an animal kindly.”
"That's the point of volunteering there as I do ... is to promote kindness to animals," he added.
THS General Manager Gary McCracken called the accusations "nonsense".
"I've worked hard there for six years caring for animals. The animals are cared for better there than any place in the province. It's a great place, the THS, and I support it wholly," he said Friday morning.
All of the accused were released on bail are slated to appear in court next month.
THS PR man Ian McConachie was arrested Friday morning outside the
shelter, for trespassing. He's been banned from the River Street
location, but he was released a short time later without charge.
The shelter is currently closed to the public. Four animals, including two cats, a puppy and a raccoon, had to be put down Thursday evening because they were in such poor health, according to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA).
Officials appeared to be removing some animals from the shelter Friday morning, in the process they made a grisly discovery.
A mummified cat was discovered in a live trap inside the building's drop ceiling. There's no telling how long it had been there.
"I've seen a lot of cruelty and yes it is upsetting to me just like anybody else," admits OSPCA Lead Investigator Kevin Strooband. "But that sent a chill up my spine," he said, referring to the discovery of the dead cat.
"It's unbelievable. I'm reeling from what I just saw. It's like a house of horrors."
The OSPCA claims the River Street shelter is disease-infested and sick animals were left to suffer in their cages due to THS management's reluctance to euthanize.
"We basically took control of the entire building - which we will do for the whole weekend - so we can make sure, first and foremost, that the animals are taken care of. And then we can look for the information that we need to support the charges that we have laid," Strooband explained Friday.
The agency launched an investigation in June 2009 and returned Thursday around 3pm with a search warrant and police officers.
“The animals are left to catch horrible diseases, die in their crates based on the euthanasia policy and refusing to let the veterinarians who work here to do their jobs,” Christopher Avery, lawyer for the OSPCA, charged.
“Un-medically trained management has the final say in medical care.”
When police reached the second floor of the shelter, a pitbull-Labrador cross that lives in Trow’s office reportedly attacked them, forcing the officers to pepper-spray the animal. That dog, named Bandit, was ordered to be euthanized after it attacked a three-year-old child six years ago.
Along with the animal cruelty charges, four of the accused are also facing obstruction charges, reportedly stemming from the June 2009 probe in which the OSPCA claims THS staff hid and euthanized sick animals to keep them off an inspector's radar.
If convicted, the five men charged Thursday could face a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
Here’s a look at the charges:
Tim Trow, THS president: Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence (2 counts), Cruelty to Animals (2 counts), and Obstruction of a Peace Officer (3 counts).
Gary McCracken, THS General Manager: Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence (2 counts), Cruelty to Animals, and Obstruction of a Peace Officer (3 counts).
Dr. Steve Sheridan, THS Head Veterinarian: Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence and Cruelty to Animals.
Andy Bechtel: Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence (2 counts), Cruelty to Animals, and Obstruction of a Peace Officer (3 counts).
Romeo Bernadino: Conspiracy to Commit and Indictable Offence (2 counts), Cruelty to Animals, and Obstruction of a Peace Officer (3 counts).
The five people mentioned, plus the entire THS Board of Directors, are also being charged with five counts of animal cruelty, a provincial offence under the Ontario SPCA Act.