Long Beach : Woman Gets Probation for Mistreatment of Her Pets

Joan Morcom, whose house in the Alamitos Heights section of Long Beach was bulldozed to the ground five months ago by city officials who had declared it a public health hazard, has been put on three years’ summary probation after pleading no contest to charges that she mistreated more than 20 dogs found on the premises.

The plea, which Morcom made after conferring for two days with her attorney and a deputy city prosecutor at Long Beach Municipal Court, was entered in lieu of a jury trial. Had she been convicted, Morcom could have been sentenced to six months in jail and fined up to $20,000.

A hearing has been set for Feb. 26 on a separate claim by the city for restitution of the estimated $7,000 the city has spent on maintaining and treating the dogs, which were suffering from malnutrition and a variety of diseases. In addition to putting Morcom on probation, Judge James L. Wright stipulated that she not be allowed to resume ownership of the dogs, about half of which have since died of their maladies.

Late last year Morcom, 44, filed a $5-million claim against the city, charging that the razing of her house was unlawful, inflicted emotional distress on her and subjected her to “public derision, ridicule, defamation and exposure.”

Morcom, who has been homeless since the city took its action, is reportedly staying with friends in Orange County.