Press Releases
04/08/2024
Attorney General Tong Statement Regarding Judge Medina's Decision to Hear Further Input on AR in Neglected Goats Case
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong released the following statement after Judge Maximino Medina’s decision to hear further input regarding Nancy Burton’s thirty days of Accelerated Rehabilitation (AR).
“I am pleased and encouraged that the State’s Attorney advocated for, and Judge Medina granted, the State the opportunity to make a statement on this matter in court on May 14. As a State, we must continue to take egregious animal abuse cases like this one seriously and impose meaningful sentences that will deter animal abusers from ever owning animals again. The Office of the Attorney General looks forward to commenting further next month. I want to thank Judge Medina again for giving the State and other victims and interested parties the opportunity to be heard on this very important case,” said Attorney General Tong.
The Office of the Attorney General worked with the Chief Animal Control Officer to gain control of more than 90 goats to ensure their safety and welfare. The court in the civil animal seizure case awarded care and ownership of the goats to the State after finding that these goats were neglected and cruelly treated including a finding that more than 40 dead goats were found on Ms. Burton’s property.
It is important to note that the accelerated rehabilitation was granted in the criminal animal abuse case, which is separate from and has no bearing on the civil case brought by the Office of the Attorney General regarding permanent ownership of the neglected goats seized from Ms. Burton’s Redding farm in 2021. Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis granted permanent ownership to the State in May 2022, noting the significant resources the State had committed to the care and custody of the severely neglected goats. Ms. Burton appealed that decision. Appellate argument was several weeks ago, and the State is awaiting a decision. All the goats held by the State have been rehabilitated and rehomed.
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