Middleburg Heights — We’ve been following a lawsuit filed against Middleburg Heights and its Animal Control Division. The City, a Police Officer and an Animal Control Officer are accused of illegally seizing pets and hiding them from their owners.
Now we’re hearing there may be a reason why. We’re being told that the Animal Control Officer has been using her public job and the city’s facilities to do private animal rescue business.
"I'm simply wanting my dog. That's all I want is my dog."
In a phone call with Middleburg Height’s Animal Control Division, you can hear Dawn Berry desperately trying to find the family's two-year-old lab, Nike.
Nike was taken by Middleburg Heights Animal Control Officer Laura Takacs days earlier for not being on a leash.
This came as a shock to the Berry family since they say Takacs loved the dog.
"She had asked us to purchase him, and we said absolutely not,” Berry added. “Nike's, you know, not a rescue. He's family, so he's not going anywhere."
But it's been nine months...and they still don't have him back.
"You can't do this!"
We heard that in a video of Jonnie D'Angelo screaming, as that same officer seized his dogs and puppies for not having a county dog tag, even though he doesn't live there.
It took a lawsuit for him to get them back.
Now, that officer is being accused of holding another cat, Punkin, since April. Even though that pet owner, Brandi Borgia, says she tried to claim it. Borgia’s attorney says Takacs is using her public position to do private work.
"Ms. Takacs is running her private, non-profit rescue called Spirit’s Cove out of the Middleburg Heights Service Building,” said attorney Michela Huth. “I believe there's a lot of mixing up with government resources and private non-profit use of government taxpayer resources in this case."
Imagine our surprise when we discovered Takacs listed as the Principal of the Spirit's Cove Animal Rescue in Middleburg Heights, according to tax records.
We tried to ask Takacs about this for two days in a row, but were met by the city's Law Director instead, who denied those allegations.
"That issue is not true,” law director Gary Ebert said. “It's actually a group of citizens who formed to try to find homes for stray animals, both dogs and cats. She was initially part of that, but is not now."
Then why was Takacs contacting Brandi Borgia, the cat owner, through the Rescue's Facebook page? Even admitting she was calling from work, which is a blocked police number.
“How can we hold an employee accountable when the Mayor, Chief of Police and supervisors don't look into this matter,” said Brandi. “That's how we get corrupt behavior.”
Borgia says she was tipped off to all of this when she saw a picture of her cat posted on Spirit Cove's website. But volunteers at the city said the cat was being held at the City's pound.
WKYC will continue to follow this story, as we're expecting another lawsuit to be filed next week.