City forecloses on house in animal-abuse case

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June 25, 2010

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG Staff Writer The Press Republican Fri Jun 25, 2010, 12:23 PM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — The City of Plattsburgh is foreclosing on a South Acres Road home that's the center of an ongoing animal-cruelty case.

The Common Council recently approved $14,500 in funding to begin cleanup work at Michael Malpass's former residence, where officials last month discovered deplorable conditions and more than a dozen animals living in neglect.

City officials said the home, which is reportedly causing an odor problem in the neighborhood, has been in legal limbo since it was deemed uninhabitable.

Mayor Donald Kasprzak, who visited the residence during the emotional animal rescue, said the cleanup issue has been a priority but has taken longer than expected to resolve.

"We moved as quickly as we could but because of the legal foreclosure issues, the process was more lengthy than we expected."

He said officials had to finalize the foreclosure process before the contract could be awarded, which happened at the council meeting last week.

Malpass recently signed the appropriate paperwork to have the home foreclosed upon because of unpaid taxes and its uninhabitable status.

The work, awarded to Jim Burgess, will begin Monday, Kasprzak said.

The residence, reportedly littered with feces and infested with bugs, became the focus of neighborhood concern and complaints to the Mayor's Office.

Kasprzak thanked the neighbors for their patience and made assurances that the issue will remain a priority.

The foreclosure also helps move the property toward future auction and, Kasprzak hopes, return to the tax rolls.

A future sale would reimburse the cleanup costs.

The property is one of eight currently being foreclosed upon by the city but is the only site with physical problems.

Authorities were called to the residence in early May after Kasprzak received reports about unsanitary conditions and possible animal cruelty.

Officials later found several dead animals and more than a dozen pets living in what they called "horrendous conditions."

Initially, 18 cats and three dogs were taken from the residence, where Malpass had been living.

The animals have since been put up for adoption, and several cats have already found new homes, as have the dogs. The rest of them are now being cared for at Elmore SPCA in Peru.

This week, authorities discovered another six cats at the residence as city crews, with help from Malpass, worked to clean the property, Police Chief Desmond Racicot said Wednesday.

Those cats are reportedly being cared for at Eagle's Nest Veterinary Hospital.

Malpass is facing nine counts of animal cruelty and is due back in City Court on July 8. He is free on the pre-trial release program.

Anyone interested in adopting one of the cats is asked to call City Police at 563-3411.