A Patterson resident has been arrested by the Putnam County SPCA after allegedly trapping squirrels and spraying them with spray paint.
The Putnam County SPCA and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police worked in conjunction after being alerted by the Putnam County Probation Department that Mark Kuhn, 62, who is on probation for an unrelated crime, admitted to illegally trapping squirrels on his property, spraying them with red spray paint/primer, then releasing them at another location in town, according to SPCA Chief Ken Ross.
After a short investigation, SPCA detectives and DEC officers interviewed Kuhn at his home Jan. 13 and charged him with three counts of poisoning or attempting to poison animals, a misdemeanor per the New York State Agriculture & Markets Law. DEC police additionally charged Kuhn with several violations under NYS environmental conservation laws.
The SPCA seized two traps from the property, as well as the spray paint can that was allegedly used on the squirrels that were caught.
The SPCA thanked the probation department, DEC police, Southeast Animal Hospital and the local wildlife rehabilitators who assisted in the investigation.