A group of lawmakers in Connecticut say they’re upset a man who ran a dog shelter was allowed to keep it open even after he was convicted of multiple counts of animal cruelty on two separate occasions.
House Republican Leader Themis Klarides says a loophole allowed Frederick Acker to keep operating after the convictions – there was no law on the books preventing it. Acker is the former head of the Connecticut Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They’re not affiliated with the national ASPCA.
“We all believe in second chances, but numerous convictions in two courts within a 12-month period of animal cruelty, yet somebody still is allowed to get out and rescue and shelter animals. Those two words are contradictory to what that person is doing.”
Acker was convicted of 15 counts of cruelty in 2015, and then another 11 last month. He’s set to be sentenced for the second round of charges in September.
Klarides says she’ll propose a bill next year she says will close the loophole. She didn’t give specifics, but said it could include requiring animal shelters to be licensed. An employee of the Connecticut SPCA said no one was available to comment today, but said Acker is no longer affiliated with the group.
