Springs Homeowner Charged With Keeping A Deer As A Pet in the Backyard: Town

SPRINGS, NY — A Springs homeowner was charged with keeping a deer as a pet in the backyard, town officials said.

The deer, which appeared unafraid of human contact, had a dog collar around its neck that was roped to a steel rod in the ground, and, apparently, it was being kept as a pet, an East Hampton Town release said.

Angel Otavalo, the homeowner, was charged with 16 counts on various code violations, the release said.

According to a release from the office David Betts, East Hampton Town director of public safety, East Hampton Town ordinance enforcement officers responded to 7 Cedar Street in Springs on Tuesday to assist East Hampton Town Police, based on a report of possible overcrowding, as well as a report of the deer being kept on the premises.

Upon arrival, ordinance officers found eight vehicles parked in the driveway; the officers conducted an inspection of the house and found that the basement had been illegally converted to several bedrooms and an office, the release said.

The basement was listed in town records as a recreation room under construction, and the building permit had expired several years prior to the inspection, according to Betts. In addition, the house, which was listed as a three-bedroom, was converted to a seven-bedroom house, the release said.

Otavalo, who was present at the time of inspection, was charged with the following, the release said:

• three counts of no smoke detector
• one count of no carbon monoxide detector
• six counts of no certificate of occupancy for various rooms
• two counts, one for a pool and one for a volleyball court, both constructed without building permits
• one count of a shed built without a permit
• two counts of no egress for the bedrooms in the basement
• one count of using an extension cord in lieu of permanent electrical wiring

As a result of the charges filed, Otavalo will be required to appear in East Hampton Justice Court
at a later date, according to Kelly Kampf, the Town’s assistant director of public safety, who
took part in the inspection and investigation.

Otavalo was also charged with unlawful possession of wildlife by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation police, who responded to take possession of the deer for rehabilitation, the release said.

Patch file photo.