“I want to hire my own lawyer,” Glorianne Lagnese told Superior Court Judge Maria del Pilar Gonzalez as she stood before the judge Friday morning.
The judge agreed to continue the case, without Lagnese entering a plea, to July 6 but at the recommendation of Assistant State’s Attorney Andres Bermudez-Hallstrom ordered Lagnese not to possesses any pets.
Lagnese responded with an adamant “no,” when asked if she had any comment on the charges as she left the Golden Hill Street courtroom with two unidentified friends.
Lagnese, of Steep Hill Road, was arrested by Fairfield police on a warrant on May 12. Police seized a total of 25 dogs and 22 cats from the home.
Police said that 48 animals were subjected to prolonged abuse by “starvation, dehydration and deprivation of basic rights of sanitation.”
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, a search of Lagnese’s home found feral cats living in the walls and ceiling of the home, piles of animal feces in multiple rooms, and a strong scent of urine that made it “very difficult to breathe” in some parts of home.
Lagnese is the principal officer of Super Paws Rescue, a registered animal rescue, according to the affidavit.
On April 22, a Fairfield animal control officer was called to a nearby home on Broad River Lane after a resident told authorities she’d taken in a small tan dog found wandering in her yard the previous night, the affidavit states.
The resident told police the dog’s fur was matted and smelled of urine, so she gave it a bath and put it in her garage with food and water for the night. The dog was found not to have a tag on its collar or a microchip, so it was impounded. Lagnese later contacted animal control to report the dog missing.
The animal control officer told Lagnese he wanted to perform a welfare check at the home due to the resident reporting the dog had smelled of urine. The affidavit states animal control had “previous dog welfare complaints” about dogs being kept at Lagnese’s rescue, but the court filing does not detail any of the previous incidents.
Animal control visited the home on April 23 and found garbage and clutter in the driveway, along with three dogs that were out in the rain in a 6 foot by 8-foot wire enclosure. During the visit, Lagnese showed the animal control officers around a kennel area in the garage with 10 dogs and 10 cats in “rack” type cages. One of the animal control officers “also noted that the room smelled strongly of feces and urine and that there were no fans or ventilation in the room,” the affidavit states.
Asked about her personal animals, Lagnese was “somewhat vague,” the warrant affidavit states, but said she owned nine dogs she considered her own along with several cats.
Animal control spoke with Lagnese’s veterinarian on April 24, who told investigators she’d spoken to Lagnese in the past about her animals being dirty and smelling of urine and cigarette smoke at times. The vet told animal control Lagnese had been “bringing in more animals lately” and that the vet “warned Lagnese she is becoming overwhelmed with trying to care for too many animals,” the affidavit states. The vet told investigators she’d considered contacting animal control but hadn’t yet written the report.
Police and animal control officers searched the property on April 28.
Inside the house was “extremely cluttered” and police noted a strong smell of urine and piles of animal feces in multiple rooms, the affidavit states.
“A search of the basement and dog rescue area showed multiple dogs and cats in cages along with many dogs and cats roaming freely in the basement level of the house,” the affidavit states. “There were multiple cats climbing in the walls and ceiling. The living area in the basement was extremely cluttered.”
“It should be noted that the animal rescue and basement level of the home were covered in feces and urine and the ammonia smell made it very difficult to breathe,” the affidavit states. “All of the animal’s cages had fecal matter and urine inside, forcing the animals to walk and lay in it. The food and water bowls were either empty or contained what appeared to be old food and were also covered in fecal matter.”
Animal control determined the conditions in the home were “detrimental to the health of the animals” and violated the state law against cruelty to animals, according to the warrant affidavit.
“Due to the clutter and condition of the home a number of feral cats were unable to be captured and therefore left behind,” the affidavit states. The town health department was called to the scene and inspected the home. “After a walk through of the home and observing the feral cats inside the walls and ceiling of the home, the residence was condemned,” the affidavit states.
The animals taken from the home were transported to the Fairfield Animal Shelter. They were seen by Lagnese’s vet at the shelter who indicated in a report that the animals showed “prolonged exposure to urine and feces” with “stained and matted coats,” and that many had overgrown nails that prevented them “from walking properly,” the affidavit states.