25-44 82nd St.
Aug. 16, 2019 By Shane O’Brien
An East Elmhurst animal hoarder has been convicted of second-degree assault after she pushed a probation officer down a flight of stairs during an unannounced visit to her house last year.
Elizabeth Grant, 51, of 25-44 82nd St., pushed the probation officer in the back as the female officer was walking down stairs, causing her to sustain a back injury on Aug. 29, 2018.
Grant was convicted of cruelty to animals in April 2018 and placed on probation for 10 years during which time she was not allowed to own any pets. She was also informed that she would be subject to unannounced home visits during the 10-year period.
On the routine call to her house last August, the probation officer observed at least 16 animals in Grant’s home, including cats, dogs, guinea pigs and fish. The DA’s office said that all of the animals were in a deplorable condition as a result of living in an inhumane environment.
Grant screamed obscenities at the probation officer and pushed her in the back as she was walking down from the second floor of the residence. The officer slipped down several steps as a result of the shove and twisted her back in an effort to grab the handrail and prevent herself from falling any further, sustaining a back injury in the process.
Acting Queens DA John Ryan said, “The defendant in this case interfered with an officer performing her duties and caused her to sustain a back injury resulting in substantial pain.
“In addition to the assault charge, the defendant also violated a 10-year ban prohibiting her from having pets. In fact, numerous cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs and even fish were found to be in the home. And sadly, these animals were living in deplorable conditions. To be clear, no animal should be subjected to these kinds of inhumane conditions. The defendant now faces prison time as a result of her actions.”
Queens Supreme Court Judge Daniel Lewis found the defendant guilty of second-degree assault and second-degree harassment, along with 16 counts of criminal contempt and 16 counts of failing to provide proper food and drink to an impounded animal.
Grant will return to the Supreme Court on Sept. 24 for sentencing and faces up to seven years in prison.
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3 Comments
This loon gives people like me a bad name!
This really is such a terrible situation. I feel for the probation officer who now has a painful back injury. I feel for these animals living in an unhabitable situation. At the same time, I also feel for this woman who very clearly has a mental illness. I can’t imagine how helpful prison time will be for her. There has to be another way…
We need to come up with a way to protect these animals. I always thought there should be a National Animal Hoarders watch list and they should be banned from having any type of pet or visiting a shelter.