A long list of criminal activities have been uncovered at the Hamilton Township Animal Shelter (Mercer County) by concerned residents and animal activists and corroborated by state health department inspectors including: 

• HUNDREDS of animal cruelty statute violations.
• HUNDREDS of animals illegally killed during the 7 day protection period
• Animals denied veterinary care.
• Prescribed medications not given to sick animals.
• Animals inhumanely killed by staff who were not certified for performing euthanasia.
• HUNDREDS of violations of NJAC 8:23 (Animal Facility Operation)
• Forgery of/Tampering with, government documents:  The Certificate of Veterinary Supervision(VPH-20) forms were obviously forged and altered by shelter staff
• Issuing fraudulent licenses:  The Health Officer freely admitted on record that he knew shelters require an inspection before being issued a license but still deliberately issued shelter licenses without performing any inspections.
• Lying to state inspectors:  NJDOH inspectors were told that the veterinarian visited the shelter periodically, but there are no records of this and the veterinarian denied ever going to the shelter.
• Neglect of Duty/Official Misconduct:  The Health Officer did not perform his legally mandated duty to inspect the animal shelter for about 30 years, or any of the other pet shops or kennels in the township, which he illegally assigned to be done by Animal Control Officers
• Illegal possession and use of a controlled dangerous substance (Telazol) and mishandling of other controlled dangerous substances resulting in a significant amount of missing Sodium Pentobarbital.

For years the shelter supervisor and health officer knowingly and defiantly ignored and broke the very laws they were tasked with upholding.

These are not victim-less crimes; thousands of animals have been neglected and needlessly lost their lives and there has been an immeasurable waste of taxpayer money, resources and donations. 

Please sign this petition to insist that Todd Bencivengo, Jeff Plunkett, and  all others involved in these crimes and the continued attempts to hide them are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  

If you are a resident of Hamilton this obviously affects your taxes, township resources, and the animals you recently dedicated a shelter costing $1.4 million dollars (plus additional costs that the Mayor has hidden within capital expenditures) to care for.

If you are a resident of Mercer County, you are dependent on the same county prosecutor to handle animal cruelty cases and corruption in your own municipality and you should let him know that you want these crimes prosecuted.

If you are a resident of NJ, this is a test that we cannot afford to fail.  The NJSPCA has been abolished for corruption and ignoring the suffering inflicted on animals in our state.  This will set the standard for how we deal not just with animal abuse and cruelty by individuals, but also how we deal with the institutionalized killing that occurs in our animal shelters throughout New Jersey.

Those involved in the criminal activities at this shelter have shown and admitted that they have not been performing their duties for the past 30 years, and that they have no regard for the law whether they exist to protect the animals or to protect us.  Our taxes should not be used to reward them and fund their pensions so that the can continue to be paid for the foreseeable future, they should be convicted and stripped of their pensions.