DALE M. HICKMAN sentenced to 30 days in jail after authorities found dozens of cats living in filth
- voiceforus
- May 20, 2022
- 3 min read
- Nebraska, USA -
On Wednesday, May 18, 50-years-old DALE M. HICKMAN (pictured) pleaded guilty to a Misdemeanor count of animal cruelty and the following day he was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
HICKMAN had been arrested on April 30, after he hit someone “in the ribs and leg with a three-foot-long metal pole during an altercation at his home”, reports WOWT.
While HICKMAN was in jail for that offense, the Omaha Police Department received a tip informing them that HICKMAN had about 20-30 cats at his home, near Fourth Street and West Center Road, and that a relative was taking care of them.
The tipster further told police that many of the cats were sick.
Police responded to investigate the tip and according to WOWT, “court documents state that officers could smell — from outside the front door — a very intense odor of a decaying animal and a strong odor of cat urine. Once inside, the responding officer said his eyes and throat were burning from the strong odor of cat urine.”
WOWT reports: “The home was extremely dilapidated; there were padlocks on the doors, a log was being used to keep another door closed from the outside, trash strewn about the yard, and an interior railing was almost entirely hanging off the stairs.”
A few days later, 9 cats were removed and at least 10 more were seen around the residence.
Officers reported that given the similarity in the appearances and due to the fact that the furbabies were hiding and running, it was difficult to give the exact number of cats present.
It was reported that many furbabies had scabs in places without hair and many were even missing some or most of their fur, which was filthy and discolored.
Most of the cats were also observed to have nasal discharge and smelled of urine or ammonia.
On a coffee table officers observed a large pile of cat food but there was no sign of water.
The absence of water caused concern given the high temperatures that been in the upper 90s.
There was no electricity and no air conditioning. Two open windows seemed to be the only source of ventilation to the home.
Inside the home were litter boxes but they were full with feces and urine.
Feces and urine were also found in every room of the home. Officers reported that even the hardwood floors on the top level of the residence were saturated with urine.
Inside the basement were piles of animal waste that had molded over.
According to WOWT, court documents state that code enforcement was notified, and “the house was closed, tagged, and declared uninhabitable.” The house is scheduled to be “reviewed for demolition.”
On a separate note, WOWT reports that HICKMAN had been investigated in the past for having many cats in his home and in June 2019, police helped HICKMAN reduce the number of cats. At the time HICKMAN also had a dog.
Twenty-one of the cats were placed in the care of the Nebraska Humane Society.
For the remaining cats, HICKMAN was given five vouchers to spay and neuter them, however, he never used the vouchers.
Two years later, in February 2021, police investigated HICKMAN again and he admitted that in addition to the dog, he had nineteen cats that he had taken in.
HICKMAN surrendered only two cats and claimed he found homes for several others.
I have emailed the Nebraska Humane Society to inquire about the cats and I have heard back from the agency via email.
Part of the email read: “Currently the case is ongoing and we await word from the county attorney. The cats are under our care but ownership has not yet been decided.”
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By the looks of his mugshot, I’ll go ahead & state the obvious, did this man even realize he had cats? This person needs as much help as those poor cats.