Pet store owner arrested, charged in animals' deaths
Friday, January 28, 2000
By Johnna A. Pro, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
A Leechburg businessman accused of allowing several exotic animals to freeze to death before going on the run from police and an angry landlord was arrested yesterday in New Kensington.
David Jordan, the owner of Crickets and More pet store in Leechburg, is led out by police after being arrested on charges of animal cruelty. (Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette) David Jordan, 34, who owned Crickets and More, was jailed in Armstrong County
on five misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty last night. He faces a hearing on Feb. 3.
No charges were filed against Jordan's wife, Michele, or a family friend, Darryl Shawfield, with whom the family was staying.
Leechburg Police Chief Alan D. Tarr said Jordan was polite to authorities but said very little about the charges that led to his arrest. "He's been courteous to us. He's a businessman. We never had any problem with him," Tarr said. Jordan hung his head, shielded his face with a paper and said nothing as he
was led to a waiting constable's car after being arraigned and fingerprinted.
His bond was set at $10,000 cash.
Michele Jordan said she and her husband had been advised by their attorney to say nothing. She declined to provide the name of their attorney. Jordan was arrested at 2:40 p.m. in Shawfield's home at 874 Seventh St. in New Kensington.
Leechburg police Officer Mike Diebold said Jordan did not appear to be surprised when officers from the New Kensington Police Department entered the home. "We found Dave watching TV," Diebold said. "He had nowhere to go. He didn't say anything."
Diebold said Jordan had known from media reports that he was being sought by authorities since Monday, when police entered his vacant store and found several exotic reptiles frozen to death.
"He knew. He knew. I'm surprised he was there," said Diebold.
Authorities learned of Jordan's whereabouts from his brother-in-law, Todd Miller, who initially told police that the family might have gone to the Dakotas to see relatives. Jordan also had told people the family was leaving the area, and had named various states to which they were moving.
Since Monday, police received calls from people who had seen Jordan in the Alle-Kiski Valley. In addition, authorities earned Jordan had rented a storage locker and had gone to it several times this week. Armed with that information, police were able to persuade Miller to help. "I impressed upon him that his cooperation was important," Tarr said. "He came up with an address for me." When Jordan opened the store in March at 132 Market St. in Leechburg, other business owners welcomed him to the retail community. He sold exotic animals and bait to fishermen, and was attracting new shoppers to the small town.
"He did a lot of business during fishing season," said Sharon Magness, an employee at Dizzy's bar next door. "And you wouldn't believe how many people have snakes."
But Jordan fell behind on the store's rent and on the rent for an apartment the family rented upstairs, said landlord Robert Porter, of Ford City. Porter padlocked the building Monday after finding the dead animals inside. Before he and his wife could take care of the problem though, Magness alerted Tarr, who went inside with a humane officer. They found the dead animals.
Humane officers also rescued a dog, cat, two kittens, 22 fish and two snails.
