Elderly East Falls Woman Sentenced In Cat Hoarding Case
By Kim Glovas
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Philadelphia woman who has lived for decades in the former home of Grace Kelly has been found guilty of animal cruelty, according to the Philadelphia district attorney's office.
Marjorie Bamont, 82, was charged on October 31st of this year with animal cruelty, after the PSPCA received reports on its animal cruelty hotline. Investigators called to the home near Henry Avenue and Coulter Street in East Falls found 14 cats and one dog in the home. Another cat was found dead in the foyer (see previous story).
Bamont was convicted in absentia yesterday of 16 counts of animal cruelty, ordered to pay $10,000 to the PSPCA, and fined $800 ($50 for each charge). She is also banned from owning or possessing any animal for the next four years. Because these were summary offenses, she was not required to appear in court.
The PSPCA had reported earlier that the conditions inside the home included fleas and feces everywhere.
Bamont bought the home in 1973. The home had been in the Kelly family from 1929 until 1970.
