SPCA director charged with animal cruelty

BETHLEHEM, Conn. (WTNH) -- A Monroe man who heads up an animal rescue group is being accused of animal cruelty.

Police say he left dozens of animals in a cold barn without any food or water.
     
News 8's Jamie Muro spoke to the head of the SPCA of Connecticut to get his side of the story.

It's supposed to be Frederick Acker's haven for dogs in Bethlehem, but instead, it has become the epicenter of a personal legal nightmare.

"It's been insane. What we want to do is we want to care for animals and find them homes," Acker said. "And we would love to have the cooperation. It took me 13 years to gain the trust and cooperation of Monroe."

Acker, the Director of the Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals of Connecticut, was arrested Monday and charged with 62 counts of animal cruelty after animal control officers found dogs of varying breeds living in the cold barn, some in unsanitary conditions. 

It's a claim Acker strongly denies. He says two recent storms have delayed the completion of the facility, but he had to put the future pets somewhere.

"My position is that these are all American animals," Acker said.

Acker's criminal arrest came after he was leaving Litchfield Superior Court, where he's currently fighting the town over custody of the animals. One witness in the hearing today, veterinarian Dr. Brad Davis, says what he saw inside the barn upset him, dogs were shivering, and questioned if some smaller breeds would have survived another night.

"It was pitiful," Davis said. "I stood next to that heater, I was six inches away from it and I couldn't feel the heat."

Acker says he has rescued hundreds of dogs, and time spent in a courtroom will not derail his mission of helping man's best friend.

"I've placed as many as 360 pets in 3 days," Acker said. "So did I take on too much, not hardly."