Mr. Peanut Butter himself

My sister, award-winning local journalist Becca Tucker, has struck again. Her latest story for the Warwick Advertiser is truly wild. It’s about Eugene Hecht, a humane law officer in Orange County, New York, who for years has been seizing family dogs on questionable grounds. As he does so, Hecht “wears a badge and carries a gun,” perks that somehow come with being Orange County’s SPCA officer — a job Hecht created for himself in 2009, allowing him to operate “in a jurisdictional gray area,” Bec reports. Rather than rein Hecht in, the police and courts seem to be aiding his efforts.

When Hecht, an 84-year-old ex-con, showed up at Latesha Mapp’s home without a warrant at 6:30 am on May 8, presumably he was armed, and certainly the police officers accompanying him were. This show of force, at such an early hour, all to ensure that Mapp, a mother of four, surrendered her beloved eight-month-old toy poodle, Mr. Peanut Butter.

To get Mr. Peanut Butter back, Mapp must pay thousands of dollars. On top of that, she’s been criminally charged with animal abuse, even though a key pillar of the government’s case against her doesn’t add up.

Ten days after seizing Mr. Peanut Butter, Hecht belatedly filed for a search warrant, according to Mapp’s attorney. But Hecht’s application made a crucial error, as Bec’s reporting details:

Hecht claims in his application for a search warrant that Mr. Peanut Butter is “approximately half of the normal weight of a mini poodle.” But Mr. Peanut Butter is not a mini poodle. He’s a toy poodle — a much smaller breed — per documentation from two vets and a certificate from the American Canine Association from the breeder where Mapp got him.

And for a toy poodle, Mr. Peanut Butter’s weight is just fine. Nevertheless, assistant district attorney Andrew Kass repeated Hecht’s claim, telling the court the dog “was about half of its normal weight.” Next, rather than deliver justice, the judge doubled down.

From Bec’s story:

On Oct. 7 in Town of Wallkill Court, Judge [Peter] Green ordered Mapp to pay the $6,000 bond for her dog’s care or be held in contempt of court, notwithstanding the prosecution’s failure to provide court-ordered receipts itemizing the charges.

“We don’t lock people up for indigency,” said [Andrew] Greher, Mapp’s lawyer, his voice rising.

“No we don’t, but we take their animals, apparently,” said Green.

If Mapp didn’t pay the bond, Green said, “she can expect her animal to be surrendered immediately.” Green also ordered Mapp to be fingerprinted after the hearing.

What’s going on in Orange County? How is it ok for armed men without a warrant to seize a family pet, only to be returned upon payment of thousands of dollars? Such behavior seems more befitting of a cartel than a local government.

Hecht, for his part, claims he’s motivated by a love of animals, not money, but he declined to say how much he makes. Meanwhile, an unknown number of pet owners’ lives have been upended.

Bec’s story deserves to be read in full. It’s local journalism at its best, and what I’ve shared is just a sliver of what she uncovered.

And to any filmmakers out there, I think this story would do well on the big screen. I’d certainly watch!