BATAVIA
Man sentenced in animal cruelty case
Darren R. Annovi, 42, of Batavia, was sentenced to 5 years probation Tuesday afternoon in Genesee County Court after pleading guilty to an aggravated cruelty to animals charge, a class E felony, in September.
Annovi accepted a plea deal September 28, 2016, pleading guilty to killing his house cat for no justifiable purpose by placing it in the oven and turning it on.
One of the conditions of probation is that Annovi not be allowed to own a pet.
Wendy Castleman, of Volunteers for Animals, has been following the case and submitted a letter requesting that Annovi not be allowed to own any pets.
In her letter she says, “The victim of this heinous crime is a cat and Volunteers for Animals is speaking for it. Mr. Annovi had many options if he no longer wanted the cat as a pet. Instead he chose to torture and kill it.”
“Animals cannot speak for themselves and it is our duty to protect them. We strongly believe he should never be allowed to care for another animal under any circumstances.”
On July 11, 2016, City Fire was called to Annovi’s apartment at 400 Towers on East Main street a smoke alarm going off.
When firefighters gained access to the apartment, it was filled with light smoke and they noticed oven racks on the floor.
When fire crews opened the oven door a dead cat fell out.
Public Defender Lisa Kroemer says Annovi has been suffering from mental illness since he was a child.
Kroemer told the court that her client believed that the cat would not suffer and did not make the connection that putting it in the oven was going to harm the cat in a hurtful way.
Annovi paid $191.00 restitution to the Animal Shelter and was given credit for time already served in jail.
Judge Michael Pietruszka called the incident a terrible tragedy, but pointed out that it is important to recognize his situation and the cutbacks in mental health counseling, saying it would have been a burden to incarcerate him.