Todd Stoehr - Duluth, Minnesota

Feb 27, 2011: Two Harbors man accused of hoarding more than 100 cats pleads guilty to misdemeanor charges

A Two Harbors man accused of hoarding more than 100 cats has pleaded guilty to animal neglect and maltreatment.

Prosecutors say 70-year-old Edward Todd Stoehr agreed Friday to a sentence of 180 days in jail, stayed for two years as part of a plea deal. He'll also be fined $1,500 of which all but $250 will be stayed.

The Duluth News Tribune reports felony charges of animal cruelty were reduced to misdemeanors as part of the plea deal.." More


Oct 7, 2010:

More Cats Found in Duluth Township Home

More cats have been found in the home of a Two Harbors man accused earlier this year of hoarding 100 cats.

A search warrant was executed at Edward Stoehr's property in Duluth Township Thursday afternoon.

Duluth Township police said they found three cats, two of which were in poor shape. The animals were taken from inside a pole barn and are being cared for at Animal Allies in Duluth.

Stoehr was charged in April with animal cruelty. The complaint reads that he may suffer from cat-hoarding behavior. He will be in court again in November..." Link & video

Apr 26, 2010: Charges filed in cat hoarding case

A 68-year-old Two Harbors man was charged with six crimes Friday for allegedly mistreating dozens of cats.

Edward Todd Stoehr is charged with two felony counts of cruelty to animals, one count of misdemeanor maltreatment of animals and three counts of misdemeanor failure to adequately care for animals.

“We are serious about prosecuting animal cruelty cases,” St. Louis County Attorney Melanie Ford said in a prepared statement. “Defenseless animals suffer greatly, and we will pursue justice in this case.”

Stoehr has been summoned to make his first appearance in St. Louis County District Court on May 20.

The complaint alleges that on March 15, Duluth Township police and personnel from the Minnesota Humane Society executed a search warrant on Stoehr’s property at 1848 Korkki Road.

The officers reported that there were no lights on, and no windows, ventilation or fresh food or water in a pole building.

Twenty live cats were found, two of which had to be euthanized. Portable kennels were in poor

condition, and litter boxes were overflowing. A veterinarian determined that the cats’ basic needs were not being met and could have caused premature death.

The officers also found 39 dead cats in bags and containers outside the pole building. The animal recovery team then went to Stoehr’s residence and removed 34 live cats. A veterinarian conducted necropsies on three cats and found that two of them died from emaciation from not eating for an extended period of time. Other live cats were found that suffered from various diseases allegedly due to improper treatment by Stoehr..." More

Mar 26, 2010: Animal cruelty charges sought in St. Louis County cat-hoarding case

By Brandon Stahl

Duluth Township's police chief said he'll forward a report Thursday to the St. Louis County attorney's office seeking 79 counts of animal cruelty charges against a Two Harbors man accused of hoarding more than 100 cats at two of his properties.

Thirty-nine of those charges could correspond with the number of cats found dead at the Duluth Township property of 68-year-old Todd Stoehr, said Police Chief Shawn Padden. But, Padden said, he's still awaiting autopsy results to see if the cats died of a cause such as respiratory distress.

The cats found alive at Stoehr's property were kept in what Padden described as "filthy" conditions, including a pole barn housing 20 cats without light or ventilation and with floors covered in feces.

"They might knock some of the charges down a bit," Padden said. "But they seemed pretty receptive to it."

Stoehr declined comment for this story.

Meanwhile, Animal Allies Humane Society said as of Tuesday afternoon 11 of the 35 cats the shelter took in from Stoehr's properties have been adopted..." More

30 CATS SAVED IN COLERAINE

Every year nearly 2 hundred– 50 thousand animals fall victim to a form of animal abuse known as 'pet hoarding'.

These pets typically are housed in poor conditions and their owners tend to believe they've done nothing wrong.

It was not the phone call Shara Remmers was expecting on Tuesday.

"Sally called me and we got a group of us together to go out there and pick them all up," said Remmers, a shelter director at Star of the North Humane Society.

Following a tip, workers from the Star of the North Humane Society of Coleraine went to a home in rural Itasca County. What they found shocked them.

Dozens of cats running around loose outside and inside the abandoned home was even worse.

"They had trashed the house. There was no food, no water. They only left a pile of litter on the floor for the cats, and at least twenty of them were in the house," Remmers said.

Twenty five cats were rescued from that house and taken to the Star of the North shelter in Coleraine.

Humane Society workers say while most of the animals appear to be in relatively good physical condition many will not be able to adapt socially due to abuse.

One of the reasons hoarding is a problem in Itasca County is that there's no law stating how many pets can be at one residence outside city limits.

"That's really problematic when it comes to shelters like ours," said Sally Kaml.

Kaml, board president for the Star of the North Humane Society, says pet hoarding is more common than most people think

"Just this past winter we rescued 25 dogs in Jacobson. And that was just an awful situation they were kept in a barn...cold, everything like that so like I said it's not uncommon up here in the northland to have hoarding situations," Kaml said.

Kaml says it's unfortunate that these hoarders don't take simple precautions with their animals.

"If we had more people spay and neuter we wouldn't have as many hoarding situations like this as we do right now."..." More & video

40 animals found in hoarding situation in Colombia Heights

In late October 2009, Animal Humane Society Humane Agent Keith Streff was called by the City of Colombia Heights to assist in a case regarding nearly 40 animals being kept in unsanitary and unsafe conditions in a single residence. Nine complaints had been filed with the city against the owner of the animals from 2008–2009 prompting an Anoka County judge to issue a search warrant to inspect the home and care of the animals.

Each year, hundreds of animals are rescued by Animal Humane Society’s humane agents, the only two full-time professional humane agents in the state. Animals brought into its care include exotics, wildlife, agriculture and companion animals. The most recent case is one that is all too familiar for Agent Streff.

“Cases of animal hoarding are fast becoming common reports on the local news,” he said. “But these cases have been taking place in our communities for years. I’ve been investigating these types of situations since I began my work as a humane agent 22 years ago.”

Streff entered the Colombia Heights home with officials on October 28, 2009. During the investigation they found garbage, debris and a significant amount of animal urine and feces throughout the residence. A total of 36 felines and two canines were living inside the home which was later condemned..." More