A former volunteer with the wildlife division of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has been sentenced to five years of probation after more than 300 dead animals were found in her former Little Silver home earlier this year, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.
Gretchen Rell, now of the Wanamassa section of Ocean Township, must meet all the requirements of her probationary term as part of the sentence set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge John R. Tassini on Sept. 26.
Those requirements include complying with recommendations of a psychiatric evaluation and making available medical, psychiatric and psychological records to authorities to ensure her compliance.
Rell must also complete 30 days of community service. She is prohibited from owning, residing with or taking into her care or custody any animals during her probationary term, and is also barred from having any contact with the Monmouth County SPCA.
A violation of any of the requirements of the probationary term could result in up to a five-year prison term.
On March 9, Little Silver police were dispatched to 15 Mitchell Place in Little Silver where, in conjunction with investigators from the Monmouth County SPCA, more than 300 dead animals were discovered. These included various types of birds, turtles, rabbits, mice, opossums and other mammals that could not be identified due to the extent of decomposition. According to the prosecutor’s office, a joint investigation by Little Silver police and SPCA investigators revealed that, between January 2013 and March 2014, Rell took in numerous animals for temporary rehabilitation; however, the animals in her care died of starvation and dehydration. Many of the animals were discovered still in their original, sealed crates or boxes.