Cops: Wanted woman sold ‘vehicle full of puppies’
NEW CANAAN — With a warrant out for her arrest, a Greenwich woman drove around New England with a “vehicle full of puppies,” dropping them off to people who purchased the dogs before turning herself in on animal cruelty charges, police said.
A warrant had been issued on Nov. 12 for Catherine Palmer’s arrest in the deaths of three puppies who were found in the New Canaan home she had been renting, police said.
Before turning herself in to New Canaan Police last Sunday, Palmer dropped off several puppies throughout New England, including one to a family in Massachusetts around midnight on Nov. 25, Lt. Jason Ferraro said.
The next day, the family needed to take the puppy to the emergency vet’s office on Thanksgiving, Ferraro said. The puppy was in critical condition and died, Ferraro said.
Ferraro said many families have come forward to report some of Palmer’s recent sales, and police are asking for others to come forward if they have recently purchased dogs from her. Palmer is also known as Cassie Palmer and Cassie Aris, police said.
Palmer appeared for a virtual court hearing this week in response to the Town of New Canaan’s petition to take permanent custody of the 12 dogs animal control seized from her Butler Lane home last month.
Palmer, who is free on $ 10,000 bond, testified during the hearing that she plans to continue fighting to get the dogs back and will have another virtual hearing on Dec. 18.