Judge spares Lewis the cat, grants owner special probation

By Pat Eaton-Robb, Associated Press Writer  |  June 20, 2006

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. --A judge spared the life of alleged
neighbor-assaulter Lewis the cat on Tuesday, but ordered him to remain
inside his owner's Fairfield home at all times.

"There are no exceptions. None," said Superior Court Judge Patrick
Carroll, who also granted accelerated rehabilitation to Lewis' owner,
Ruth Cisero.

Cisero's record will be cleared in two years if she completes 50 hours
of community service and Lewis stays indoors. If Lewis does get out,
Cisero could face up to six months in prison. An animal control
officer, not a judge, would decide what happens to the cat.

Cisero was charged with reckless endangerment after neighbors
complained that Lewis' long claws and stealth have allowed him to
attack at least a half-dozen people and ambush the Avon lady as she was
getting out of her car.

Cisero had fought to keep Lewis alive and in Connecticut. She rejected
a previous offer of accelerated rehabilitation if she agreed to
euthanize him. Prosecutors also offered to drop the charges if she had
Lewis declawed, but she declined.

She had earlier said Lewis would be miserable if he had to stay
indoors, but she said Tuesday that he'll have to learn to live with it.

"We'll do our best to make him happy," she said. "I guess ultimately
he'll be alive. So like everyone in life, you make adjustments."

Carroll said the case was not about a cat, but about people having the
right to live in safety in their neighborhoods.

The case drew national attention, with Lewis appearing in People
magazine and on his own page on MySpace.com.

The courtroom was packed Tuesday with animal lovers, one wearing a
"Save Lewis" T-shirt. Among them was Rosemarie Gravas of Melbourne
Beach, Fla., who spent part of her New England vacation in the
courtroom after reading about Lewis.

"Ruth should not be separated from that cat, because we are bonded to
our animals," Gravas said.

Assistant State's Attorney Charles Stango, who prosecuted Cisero,
lamented that cases involving humans don't get nearly as much
attention. He said Lewis' case has drawn more publicity than any other
in his eight years on the job.

"Two women came up to me in church on Sunday and said 'Please don't
harm Lewis,'" he said, adding that he hadn't told anyone at his church
that he was working on the case.

Cisero said Tuesday she would prefer to have never had the attention.

"I never thought it would come to this," she said. "It's been an
absolute nightmare. It's ruined my life."

The Best Friends Animal Society of Kanab, Utah, had also offered to
take Lewis free of charge. The cat sanctuary can accommodate about 600
cats in climate-controlled bungalows and has specialists who know how
to handle cats with behavior problems.

"If necessary to save the life of Lewis the cat, we agree to provide
Lewis with a place to live out his life at our sanctuary," Russ Mead,
Best Friends' general counsel, wrote in a letter to Carroll.

Eugene Riccio, Cisero's attorney, said Lewis enjoys life in southern
New England and preferred to stay here.
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Personally, I hope Lewis sneaks out and Animal Control gets him and
offs him on the spot.