Justice for Maxine

Town of Edgefield, County Aiken, South Carolina; W Ken Durham, Mayor Edgefield Carolina: Ronald A. Carter, Chief of Police Edgefield Carolina; Sheriff Michael Hunt, Aiken County; Honorable Ronnie Young, Council Chairman; and all other parties involved.

I want to make you aware that this petition has been started in regards to a cat that was put down in your local shelter on Thursday Oct 18th, after the shelter had been contacted by that cat's owner, Robin Haas. The cat involved had been captured and tortured by a young man, a neighbor of the cat's owner, in the town of Edgefield,. The young man's parents then contacted the shelter saying that the cat was a feral (which they knew to be untrue). The owner was first told that the cat had been taken to the shelter on Oct. 16th (2007), but that was later changed to Oct 17th. The owner had contacted the police and filed a report, contacted the shelter, and made repeated calls trying to locate her cat, but the cat was put down anyway. The officer involved in taking Maxine to the shelter told her owner that Maxine had big clumps of hair missing and that her little face was all messed up. The young man's parents have gone out of their way to cover for him and he needs to be brought to justice.

We in the animal protection community are outraged by the actions of the local law enforcement and the county shelter. The young man involved, as well as his parents who helped to cover up his actions, should be penalized for his crimes. The shelter should be investigated to make certain that this kind of thing  does not ever happen again. The local officials should be reprimanded for their own involvement, restitution of some sort should be made to the cat's owner and a public apology should be offered.

Thank You,
MaryAnne Wilson-Premeaux

Tucson Arizona

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UPDATE:
Because of the fact that the persons involved in the entrapment and subsiquent death of Maixe had taken it upon themselves to add thier own remarks to this petition, I did some extra checking into the situation. Below is what was written by the the sister of Maxine's owner;

Okay, on the cat situation, I have a lot to say. I am replying directly to the killer of my sister's cat. Yes, killer, the trap crushed her and animal control put her to sleep because she was suffering. I have had Your animals (two brown hounds that were always out) in my yard defecating, ruining the things in my yard, and chasing my daughter.  I found out about the cat when my daughter came home from school hysterical, because the boy across the street told her that he was holding the cat hostage and would not be giving it back. None of our children are angels or above reproach. It is odd that many of our other nieghbors know our pets by name, yet you couldn't ask anyone about it. I am sorry that these things have happened and about the damage to your property. Have you thought about racoons and squirrels? This is the THIRD pet (of ours) that you have in some way been responsible for dying. The aforementioned dogs killed two of our cats, or at least were seen dragging the bodies up and down the street. I did not say anything, because accidents happen, and these things are part of life. We take good care of our pets, have you thought about the cost of the animals that are now gone. The cat killed in the trap was a pure-breed worth over $800, yet as a family member she is irreplaceable. To everyone who reads this and thinks the 911 call was a bit much: my sister (owner of the cat) is disabled and in a wheelchair. She has had multiple-strokes and will soon be paralized from the neck down (due to bone deteriation), she has a very low quality of life. Her beloved cat Maxine was one of the things that brought her joy. She (the cat) was a very special miniature-manx (so that she could have her on her lap) we will never be able to find another. My sister still cries daily over this loss. All of you please think before you act.
web posted October 24, 2007
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What I know is that Robin HAD complained to me BEFORE about these particular neighbors hurting some of her and her sisters other pets. Second; the young man in question here was BRAGGING to the niece. It was HIS bragging that put Robin and her family on the alert. When Robin realized that Maxine was missing she notified a number of people about it; including myself. At that point she didn't know WHERE Maxine was. It was AFTER the boy bragged to her niece that she realized what was going on and she IMMEDIATELY started calling for help. I don't really know if the shelter is being totally honest or not (at this point) as they have not tried to make contact even though they have my name, email address and phone number to do so. But I DO believe that the neighbors are the DIRECT cause of Maxine being put down. Therefore (and unless any proof is given otherwise), this petition STANDS! One last note; to the person/s who added to this petition stating that I DO NOT even know Robin. WRONG! Just because I live in another state does not mean I do not know her or what has been going on. I would never start a petition for someone I DON'T know, nor if I did not have reliable information about the alleged event.
MaryAnne

Update;
I recently recieved a letter from Maxine's owner about something that involved the young mans' father. Robin, who is wheelchair bound, was on her way home (in her wheelchair) from a doctors appointment. Just before she reached her own driveway, the father was coming up the road in his truck. He sped up and drove directly towards Robin. She was able to manuever her wheelchair so as to get herself out of the road before he was able to reach her. This was a very frightening incident for Robin, who was certain the man was acting out his anger. Previously I had asked her if there was any danger to her or her family and she had said that she didn't think so. After this incident she isn't so sure anymore. This entire situation is out of control and would never have had to go this far, or even HAPPEN, had these people acted responsibly and taught their children to treat others and thier property with respect. They are angry about something they brought on themselves, and I assure you that if Robin or any member of her family are further hurt by this family I will take this all the way to the top to see that justice is done!

MaryAnne