After the Discovery of Seven Dogs in Mansfield Condo, Residents Demand Answers From Town

While many were surprised by the amount of dogs found in a Mansfield condo on East Street after the arrest of David Aristide, those living in the area were anything but shocked by the developments concerning an issue some residents say they’ve known about for months.

During Wednesday’s selectmen meeting, a pair of residents questioned the selectmen concerning the town’s response to the man that is accused of keeping a high number of dogs in a condo.

On Sept. 11, police found seven dogs in the condo located at 21 East Street, Unit 3D after Quincy police arrested Aristide and informed Mansfield officials that there might be more dogs locked in a condo.

Maureen Driscoll, a Union Street resident, expressed frustration at the time it took for the town to address her concerns, telling the selectmen that she sent documents to town officials documenting the problem over a year ago.

Driscoll claims she reported Aristide to the animal welfare committee in July 2013. The committee told Driscoll the issue was out of their jurisdiction and to contact animal control officer Jeff Collins. The Union Street resident also said she had two conversations with town manager Bill Ross who said the town was addressing the issue but the man had a history of filing lawsuits, complicating the issue.

“I didn’t need the details, I was confident it would be taken care of which didn’t happen,” Driscoll said after speaking to the selectmen.

Recently, Ross told the Sun Chronicle that the town has been trying to catch Aristide but were unable to due to a lack of evidence that he had more dogs than legally allowed by the state.

“We haven’t been able to catch him with more than four dogs at a time,” Ross told the Sun Chronicle, in reference to a state law which says a kennel license is required if a person has more than four dogs three months or older. “He’s been uncooperative, moving dogs back and forth between multiple residences, so we’ve not had any direct observations to go on.”

The after effects of the arrest are all too familiar for a resident who lives under the condo. A man only identifying himself as Mr. Payne said that waste started soaking through to his condo over the weekend. He claims the conditions are making him ill and that he has found blood in his mucus recently.

He reported the damage to the health department but health agent Scott Leite has been out of the country and will not return until later this week.

Building inspector Nick Riccio told Payne that his office would investigate the matter and would contact the health department.

Selectmen chairman George Dentino was hesitant to answer questions due to the ongoing litigation surrounding the arrest but with a wide range of reports, concerns, and speculation about how many dogs Aristade actually kept, he said town officials would provide more information next week.

“I have discussed with police chief Ronald Sellon, building inspector Nick Riccio, and town manager Bill Ross about coming in here. They understand the situation,” Dentino said “We’re going to make it as informative as possible and that’s it. At least they’ll get an update about what the people have been doing without hurting us and our ability to do anything litigation wise.”

The board will meet again on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at Mansfield Town Hall.