Crazy Cat Lady

from WTOP D.C. 103.5 FM

A woman who was found living with more than 300 mostly dead cats pleaded guilty to 46 misdemeanor counts of neglect, abruptly ending her trial on animal cruelty charges. Patricia K. Nicholson, 51, of rural Mount Airy, entered the Alford plea after a lunch break following about 2 1/2 hours of testimony in Frederick County District Court. In an Alford plea, a defendant doesn't admit guilt but acknowledges the state has enough evidence to produce a guilty verdict. Nicholson faces a maximum penalty of 11 years and four months behind bars plus a $46,000 fine.

Nicholson was found living in a house with 184 dead cats and 119 live ones, of which 46 had to be euthanized, according to court records and trial testimony. In return for her guilty plea to failing to provide adequate food, shelter and air to the 46 cats that were put down, prosecutors dropped 76 other counts of that offense and 122 misdemeanor counts of inflicting unnecessary pain and suffering. Animal control officers found two refrigerators stuffed with cat carcasses and every flat surface covered with at least three inches of animal feces. Amid reeking rooms filled with cat-carrier cages stacked six high, they found other remains _ some in plastic containers lovingly labeled with names and death dates going back to 2001, and some decomposing in closets and atop the mattress on which Nicholson apparently slept.