Mason City man charged with animal neglect after 29 cats rescued from hot vehicle
(ABC 6 News) — On Monday, 29 cats were rescued from a locked van in scorching heat after being in there for hours.
On Friday, 64-year-old Andres Guilartes Martinez was arrested and charged with three counts of animal neglect as a result of this incident.
“That was the hottest day of the year, Monday, and we got there in the morning, and it was already 93 degrees inside the van,” said Animal Intervention Coordinator Tina Updegrove.
It was last Friday when the situation was brought up to the Mason City Police Department after residents kept spotting the van with cats near the Monroe Terrace apartment building.
“It took us a few days to figure out how to remove the cats and where to go with them. Our local animal shelter was full,” said MCPD Captain Mike McKelvey.
The situation eventually led police to obtain a search warrant, which allowed the Animal Rescue League of Iowa to bring them to care.
Luckily, the cats seem to be on the road towards recovery.
“We do have two kitties that were injured pretty significantly,” said Updegrove. “They are being treated as well as all the other ones, and they are settling in nicely.”
If a situation like this were to arise again, police say there is not much that can be done other than letting law enforcement know about the situation.
“We had a lot of folks calling us asking if they could break the windows and take the cats out and take care of them,” said McKelvey. “Until the court says otherwise, that is his property, so we have to go through the courts.”