Watch the video to find out more about her sentencing.
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We all know that cats are fussy yet independent animals which is why there’s a greater tendency for stray cats to abound than stray dogs. It’s pretty much normal practice for residents to feed stray cats even if they don’t adopt them outright and no one would raise any eyebrows over it. Unless you happen to live in Garfield Heights, Ohio.
As it so happens, 79-year-old Nancy Segula is facing jail time because she fed stray cats in her neighborhood. But there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
For a town that has the same name as a beloved fictional cat, it’s ironic that feeding stray cats or dog is illegal in Garfield Heights.
Segula got into trouble when a neighbor left town and abandoned his cats. Because she was a cat lover, Segula got worried and started feeding them. When her other neighbors noticed what she was doing, they called in the animal warden.
According to Segula, she started receiving citations for her violations in 2017. But city Law Director Tim Riley says that Segula actually started receiving citations since 2015. He added that she was served at least four citations in a span of four years.
Segula’s first citation in 2015 resulted in a conviction. In 2017, following numerous citations, she was sentenced again, this time to two years of probation. Some of her citations involved having too many animals as well as her failure to dispose of waste that often ended up in her neighbors’ yards, Riley said.
Riley added that Segula ignored a request not to feed the strays anymore.
During a probation hearing, she got a suspended 10-day jail sentence on condition that she no longer feed the strays.
The latest citation got her into court again after the city got even more complaints about the animals. Segula admitted to the infraction and was sentenced to jail for contempt of court.
Riley mentioned that 22 cats were removed from Segula’s home.
But due to the fact that Garfield Heights Municipal Court Judge Jennifer Weiler was away at the time Segura’s case was being heard, she may get another day in court. At the hearing, the magistrate took over but Weiler wants a new hearing because she needs to hear from both sides.
Segura’s family reacted with shock on hearing of her sentencing. Segura’s son, Dave Pawlowski, said, “I’m sure people hear about the things that happen downtown in that jail. And they are going to let my 79-year-old mother go there?”
Segula also thinks that the punishment doesn’t fit the “crime.”
“It’s too much of a sentence for me for what I’m doing, when there are so many people out there that do bad things,” she said.
Riley countered by saying that offenders often just pay the fine but Segula brought the situation on herself because of her numerous violations.
“Our department and the city as a whole recognize that many are passionate about animals and pets in general. We are also aware that many do not feel the same way,” he said, adding that the city only trying to “enforce the city ordinance and alleviate a nuisance situation.”