March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Man pleads guilty to animal cruelty in `Ibbles’ case> Eric Kiernan admits cutting whiskers, denies putting cat in microwave oven

BELFAST — Authorities have admitted getting burned when they accused Eric Kiernan of putting Ibbles the cat in a microwave oven.

When Kiernan, 19, of Belfast appeared in Waldo County Superior Court Tuesday he pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals and other charges but denied placing Ibbles in a microwave. He told Justice Nancy Mills that the only cruelty he had performed was cutting Ibbles’ whiskers and kicking him.

Kiernan suffered the scorn of hundreds when word of Ibbles’ plight spread after charges were filed last February. Waldo County Assistant District Attorney Leane Zainea told Justice Mills that while she had evidence of some of Kiernan’s animal cruelty, there were no witnesses to the alleged microwave incident.

City police began investigating Kiernan’s behavior after Sonja Berenyi, then director of the Claude Clements Animal Shelter, reported that a mistreated cat had been dropped off by Kiernan’s neighbors. Berenyi told authorities that she was told the cat had been tortured and placed in a microwave for 30 seconds.

Whether or not that was true, Berenyi insisted that Ibbles was a frazzled feline when he arrived at the shelter. She claimed the cat suffered temporary blindness, experienced multiple seizures, passed blood for days and ran a high fever. However, by the time the veterinarian who assists the shelter saw Ibbles a few weeks later, he was unable to confirm whether the cat’s injuries were caused by microwaves.

According to a police affidavit filed with the case, various witnesses told of watching Kiernan torture Ibbles, kick him around the room and throw him out the door by his tail. Although they claimed Kiernan bragged of flushing Ibbles in the toilet and putting him in the microwave, none actually witnessed those incidents.

Besides the massive outpouring of sympathy for Ibbles, his suffering also fueled numerous contributions to the animal shelter. It also resulted in a dispute between Berenyi and the shelter’s board of directors that eventually led to her dismissal.

On Tuesday Kiernan also pleaded guilty to unrelated charges of burglary, burglary of a motor vehicle, theft and forgery. Zainea recommended a combined sentence on all the charges of five years in prison with all but 18 months suspended, three years probation and restitution of $1,200 to his victims. Justice Mills said she wanted to review a pre-sentence investigation into Kiernan’s background before deciding whether to accept the state’s recommendation.


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