| Who, age | What | Where | When | Last Known Address |
| Martin Lopow, 38(1) | snatching a dog from Trumbull's animal shelter that was slated to be euthanized | Trumbull, CT Fairfield County |
2002 | Bridgeport, CT |
| Martin Lopow, 44(2) | left a dog in his car in 19-degree weather | Bridgeport, CT Fairfield County |
February 11, 2007 | |
| Type of Crime | Other Crimes | #/Type of animal(s) involved | Case Status | Next Court Date /Courthouse |
(1) 1 1-year-old German shepherd mix (2) same dog now 6-years-old |
(1) ordered to undergo accelerated rehabilitation (2) Dismissed |
Bridgeport Superior Court |
A man was charged with animal cruelty after he reportedly left a dog in his car in 19-degree weather outside his condo in Bridgeport's North End.
Martin Lopow, 44, of Cherry Hill Drive, was issued a summons to appear in court on the cruelty charge after an officer saw "Rusty," a 6-year-old German shepherd mix, in Lopow's 2002 Kia Rio police reported.
When officers spoke with Lopow, he said the dog was in the car because he already had two dogs in his unit, the most he was allowed to have by the condo rules, according to police.
Lopow told them he had intended to leave the dog in the car no longer than 12 hours, police said.
Update 6/11/07: Lopow wants to reopen Companions for Life, a self-described animal rescue operation on Eastfield Drive that provoked neighborhood controversy before closing when its owner was charged with animal cruelty last July.Martin Lopow said he wants to reopen the business by month's end and plans to board from 20 to 30 dogs in an in-law apartment at the house.
Lopow said he will lease the Eastfield Drive house from its owner, Robbin D'Urso, and plans to live there periodically. Others not associated with Companions for Life also will live in the house, Lopow said.
D'Urso, a principal in the limited liability company that owns the Eastfield Drive house, pleaded guilty in October to five counts of cruelty to animals after police found nearly 130 dogs in her house.
Town Attorney Richard Saxl said the town will fight Lopow's plan to reopen Companions for Life, which had advertised itself as a nonprofit business when D'Urso owned it.
Lopow visited the Eastfield Drive house with his dogs, Rusty, Rosy and Mr. Stinky, which got his name after a skunk sprayed him. "This place is well designed for an operation such as this," Lopow, 45, said of the 5,133-square-foot, ranch-style house that sits on a half-acre at 104 Eastfield Drive.
Lopow added that Fairfield is one of the few towns in Connecticut that doesn't have restrictions on dog ownership and fostering.
Lopow said he plans to bring 30 to 40 dogs from shelters in the South every month, depending on how quickly he can find homes for them. Not all of the dogs will live on Eastfield Drive, he said.
"An adoption agency is the idea. The intent is to have them for not even a month before they're in a home," Lopow said. "It's a shame, the past year, that a large number of dogs that might have been saved were euthanized."
Saxl said Lopow will have "significant problems" trying to reopen Companions for Life and that the town "will take strong and immediate steps to shut the business down again." "This business is not going to get the benefit of the doubt, after its history," Saxl said.
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said his office's investigation into possible "co-mingling" of personal and charitable funds at Companions for Life is continuing.
"Anyone reopening the charity would have to contact our office and answer questions we raised about the co-mingling of funds before the charity could be revived," Blumenthal said.
Lopow said D'Urso recently moved upstate and would not have "active involvement" with Companions for Life.
"Since she is no longer in the residence there; it's perfectly legal, under new management, to operate from that facility there," Lopow said.
Lopow said he doesn't know exactly where D'Urso lives and has no telephone number for her.
The town does not have an ordinance that limits the number of dogs in a house, but wildlife sanctuaries and charitable institutions can't open in a residential zone without approval from the Town Plan and Zoning Commission, town officials said.
Lopow, however, said Companions for Life already was established on Eastfield Drive and questioned whether that approval is needed.
Zoning regulations also forbid more than three dogs on a run within 100 feet of a property line, officials said.
Lopow, who used to drive dogs from shelters in southern states to Connecticut for Companions for Life, said he'd check into what he has to do to reopen D'Urso's operations.
Geoff Wargo, who lives next door at 120 Eastfield Drive, wasn't pleased to hear that Companions for Life might reopen. "I think it would be a big mistake on his part because the people here on Eastfield Drive are finally relieved after years of ongoing problems concerning the many dogs kept here in that house," Wargo said.
Lopow said he'd make sure the house isn't overcrowded with dogs, but Wargo said Lopow was charged with animal cruelty by Bridgeport police for keeping Rusty in his car in freezing temperatures.
Lopow, accused last February of leaving Rusty in his 2002 Kia Rio in 19-degree temperatures, told officers he wasn't allowed to have more than two dogs in his condo and didn't intend to have Rusty in the car more than 12 hours.
Lopow acknowledged the charges against him were true but said Rusty had a thick coat of fur and the case was dismissed.
Lopow also was charged in 2002 with snatching Rusty from Trumbull's animal shelter after learning the dog would be euthanized. Lopow acknowledged those charges also were true, but said he acted because he was not willing to let Rusty die.
Lopow said he was granted accelerated rehabilitation and his record was wiped clean after two years.
Noel Newman, an assistant town attorney who was involved in the town's case against D'Urso, said Lopow faces an uphill fight reopening Companions for Life. "I can't see that the authorities are just going to sit by and let that happen. I doubt it," Newman said. "If I were giving him advice, I think I would check this out pretty carefully before I sunk money into it."
Update 2/26/08: Geoff Wargo hopes the house next door gets bulldozed.
The house at 104 Eastfield Drive, where Robbin D'Urso ran an animal rescue operation that sheltered 130 dogs, will be sold in a public auction.
"I hope a contractor comes in and succeeds with the winning bid so they can tear that down and put up something nice," Wargo said. "If I see a contractor getting the bid and the house is bulldozed, that'll be the final page in the book, and things will be put to rest. I'll be happy when that day comes."
The single-story, ranch-style home, which sits on a half-acre, is in foreclosure. A limited liability company that lists Martin Lopow of Cherry Hill Drive, Bridgeport, as a principal owns the property.
The LLC doesn't owe back taxes on the real estate, but it owes $390 in back sewer taxes, according to the town Tax Collector's Office.
Rules of the auction require the winning bidder to make a $57,000 deposit followed by the balance within 30 days.
Wargo said Lopow expressed interest in buying the house, but hopes that does not happen. Lopow in June said he planned to reopen Companions for Life.
"By him moving here, it's just going to be more problems. We just want a normal neighborhood. That's all anybody's asking for," Wargo said.
Bridgeport Superior Court Judge Patrick Carroll ruled in September that if D'Urso sold her house, the new owner could not have more than two dogs on the property until D'Urso's probation ended.
Carroll's restriction on who can buy the house may not apply to the auction since D'Urso is not the party selling the house. The sale of the house, however, requires court approval.
Update 4/4/08: The Eastfield Drive property that once housed 130 dogs in a so-called animal-rescue operation was acquired by the company that sued the homeowner in a foreclosure proceeding.Property Asset Management Inc. acquired the single-story, ranch-style home at 104 Eastfield Drive for $399,000 in a pubic auction.
The home had been owned by Robbin D'Urso , but she defaulted on a $409,500 mortgage that she took out from BNC Mortgage Inc. in Irvine, CA.
Reference:
Connecticut Post