August 2, 2010 as Coral kerr readied her animal family to move to a desert residence so that the cleaning crew she'd arranged for could have easy access to the property and buildings, over twenty officers from Tulare County again forced their way into Ms.Kerr's property and violently abducted the same elderly animal family and Scott O'Neill following an attempt to taser her, arrested Ms. Kerr. She was handcuffed , thrown into deputy O'Neill's truck, and shackled to the floorboard as local people shouted and laughed at her as they stood out on the private road, obviously having been encouraged to intimidate and humiliate Ms. Kerr. As Scott O'Neill drove Ms. Kerr to jail , a trip of more than two hours, being questioned as to his motives he announced " You thumbed your nose at me". He vowed to make sure Ms. Kerr lost everything....her home, her animals, and all she owned and cared about. She implored him to understand that her animals are her family. He threatened her and said "They are not your family anymore". He insisted he would personally go back and trap any of her cats they hadn't caught just to make sure she never saw her beloved pets again. Her cats were killed...including the surviving kittens she had rescued and fed a special formula every hour day and night for weeks to help them survive the loss of their mother the hunters who shoot the abandoned cats for target practice.
Ms. Kerr had been getting all of the forest cats spayed and neutered and placed in loving homes. Her own dogs and cats had actually been with her for many years. There was one, named "Sparrow" who had been the first kitten she had managed to save and as an adult "Sparrow" saved the lives of two tiny newborn kittens prompting Coral to write and illustrate a little children's book about her.
Coral kerr, a 63 year old , law abiding tax payer who has never harmed anyone was in jail for a month and kept from contacting a bailbondsman even though she had the mney to bail herself out. Coral's dogs and cats were impounded for four months. Tulare County Animal Shelter agreed to release the animals to a rescue group who had made accomodations to house them all together as they had been together all of their lives. They are each over ten years old and they had been with Coral kerr all of their lives.The pound refused to let anyone know who was still alive or whom of Ms. kerr's cherished pets they had killed.
The shelter manager Paul Grenesman stated that $13000 would release the animals then it was suggested that a proposal be presented by interested parties, but phone calls to the pound were never returned and thousands of dollars were offered to secure the safe release of the surviving animals. In court, being accused of animal cruelty based on the condition of her property, though nothing inculpating or incriminating was proven, Ms. Kerr was told her animals would be killed if she did not accept a resolution, and though she insisted on going to trial, confident of her innocence, on November 15, 2010 she went along with whatever would save the lives of her animals.
Having no reliable or competent legal representation in court, Coral Kerr fell victim to the process that so often now leaves defendants of any charges undefended and without any necessary information as to what any charges are or how decisions will impact treatment of these alleged "cases". Throughout this particular debacle that has annihilated Coral Kerr's world, countless animal rights people of influence have written supportive letters, emails, and faxes to the prosecutors and the attorneys who were ostensibly supposed to be building a defense, firmly establishing their confidence in Ms.Kerr's reputation as a thoroughly competent and altruistic empath in her 50 years of animal rescue . High profile individuals in the television and film industry who had known Coral Kerr since the 1960's offered testimony exculpating Ms.Kerr and humane organizations pleaded with Tulare County Animal Control manager, Paul Grenesman, to realize that Ms. Kerr loved and cared for her family of animals, now elderly, and that they should be released together as they have lived together all of their long, healthy lives. These compassionate animal rights advocates were ignored.
December 9,2010 "Michelle" at the Tulare County Animal Shelter announced that Ms. Kerr's animals were gone. It is not known who of Coral's cherished family is still alive, placed in foster homes or dead. Tulare County and California Hot Springs residents, even though the maintenance issues were all taken care of and the property was improved beyond the county's expectations, destroyed Coral kerr's entire existence.
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