Couple appeals animal cruelty conviction
<p>Cheryl Lee Criswell wipes her eyes as attorneys give their opening statements Sept. 6, 2011. She and her husband, Edwin, are appealing their conviction of aggravated cruelty to animals.</p>
A Kalispell couple convicted of aggravated cruelty to animals last September — following the rescue of 116 cats from their snowbound trailers — are appealing their conviction to the Montana Supreme Court.
A jury convicted Cheryl and Edwin Criswell of felony charges after two hours of deliberation following a three-day trial.
Cheryl was given a six-year deferred sentence while Edwin was given a two-year deferred sentence. Each was ordered to pay more than $1,000 in fees and they were ordered to jointly pay almost $15,000 in restitution to the Flathead County Animal Shelter for care of the cats.
The Criswells now argue that their case was mishandled and that they deserve another shot at defending themselves. Cheryl would not go into detail about the basis for the appeal, out of the fear of jeopardizing their case.
“Let’s just say there were some mistakes made during the trial, enough that an appeal is warranted,” she said. “We are not guilty and I will take it to the Supreme Court of the United States if I have to.”
Cheryl said she believes the reason they were charged and eventually convicted was because of the people involved in rescuing them and their animals. The same sentiment was shared by Edwin in his testimony during the trial, when he blamed their charges on an animal control officer and others.
“We just picked up the cross and followed Jesus, but we didn’t find the right people to help us,” Cheryl said. “We found control freaks and some manipulators, and they managed to get their way.”
Cheryl said she is not an animal hoarder, noting that she has never been diagnosed as such, and said she and Edwin have suffered greatly due to the conviction and sentence.
“It’s hard to go outside and walk around the park without feeling like everybody’s looking at us like we’re monsters because that’s the way we’ve been portrayed,” Cheryl said.
Cheryl has been seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist who have been prescribing her different antidepressants to deal with her “complicated grief.”
“I feel like I’m in a deep, dark pit trying to claw my way out,” she said.
She also said her fibromyalgia pain has increased due to stress and that Edwin has had trouble finding a job, both related to their conviction.
Reporter Jesse Davis may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at jdavis@dailyinterlake.com.