By: Lidia Ryan
A Connecticut man with a record of animal abuse could lose his animals.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal filed a motion Wednesday for custody of dozens of animals seized from Paul Novicki's farm.
Novicki was recently arrested for animal cruelty charges at Rambling Ranch Farm.
The state and the Department of Agriculture seized 178 neglected animals from Novicki’s property at 50 Doolittle Lane in Hamden over the last few years. They picked up two horses, two mules, two burros, three cows, two dogs, 15 chickens, 26 rabbits, three pheasants, six ducks and one cat on Jan. 14 and 22, according to a statement from Blumenthal.
The Attorney General, on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, wants permanent state custody of the latest seized animals. Blumenthal also wants to bar Novicki from owning any animals in the future, and is seeking restitution for the cost of caring for the animals.
“We are asking the court to stop a serial animal abuser -- someone who has repeatedly neglected animals and wasted state resources through numerous and large-scale animal seizures,” Blumenthal said.
In recent inspections, according to Blumenthal, animal control officers found that “Novicki’s animals had no food or water access, and some of the animals required veterinary care. At least one dead and decomposed rabbit was found in a dirty shed that was filled with feces and dirty hay and contained a loaded firearm.”..." More
