Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A KU student charged with two counts of felony animal cruelty was released on bond from the Douglas County Jail on Monday afternoon as Lawrence police officers continued to investigate an alleged pattern of abusive behavior from the suspect in the case.
Cem Basoflas, identified on a Web site about him as an Istanbul, Turkey, sophomore, was released about 3 p.m. The release came with the stipulations that he have no contact with or possession of any animal and that he surrender his passport, as set by Pro Tem Judge James George at Basoflas’ first appearance hearing on Friday.
Basoflas was arrested Wednesday afternoon after maintenance crews found a large quantity of blood in his apartment in the 2100 block of Heatherwood Drive, Sgt. Bill Cory, Lawrence Police public information officer, said Thursday.
A representative of the District Attorney’s office said Monday that more charges might be filed as the investigation continued. David Melton, the assistant district attorney prosecuting the case, said on Friday that the state intended to prove “extreme violence” against multiple animals.
Basoflas has another pending animal cruelty charge stemming from an arrest on Aug. 19. Police records for that incident listed Sarah Geisler, a nurse with the Lawrence Veterinary Hospital, as a witness.
Geisler said the August police report was filed after Basoflas brought a cat into the hospital. Geisler said veterinary technicians found that the cat had nine fractured ribs and a fractured sternum and was struggling to breathe because of a punctured lung. Geisler described the incident as the worst case of animal cruelty she had ever seen.
The cat is now living at the Lawrence Veterinary Hospital, Geisler said.
Midge Grinstead, director of the Lawrence Humane Society, said the humane society had investigated Basoflas before the August incident but did not have enough evidence to bring its suspicions of abuse to the police.
Grinstead said the humane society was involved in the current investigation and thought Basoflas had exhibited a pattern of abusive behavior.
Grinstead said she thought Basoflas obtained the animal or animals involved in the alleged cruelty incidents through Web sites such as Craigslist and Larryville.com.
Aaron Weatherby, an upstairs neighbor to the apartment at which police arrested Basoflas, said he had noticed a foul odor in the apartment building for about six months. Weatherby said the smell was “like a dead rat.”
Another neighbor, Anthony Fowler, said he never noticed an odor. Fowler said that he had heard a dog barking from Basoflas’ apartment Tuesday night and that he knocked on Basoflas’ door but there was no answer. Fowler said he thought Basoflas had owned the dog for only about a week before Wednesday’s arrest.
A management representative of Peppertree Apartment Complex, near 23rd and Kasold streets, where Basoflas lives, said there had been no complaints concerning Basoflas before his arrest. The management also said it had a rigorous screening process for residents that included criminal background checks.
Basoflas has been registered as a student at the University since January 2008 and was listed as having the intention to major in physics. He was registered as a student at Fort Hays State University from August 2006 to December 2007.
While at Fort Hays, Basoflas was involved with the Model United Nations Club. Jason Weaver, the president of the club at the time, said Basoflas was eager to contribute to the club’s research and was always studious and friendly.
“He was really cool when I got to know him,” Weaver said.
The club was assigned Turkey as its country of focus in competition during the time Basoflas was involved, and Weaver said Basoflas contributed positively to the group’s activity by sharing his perspective as a Turkish national on cultural and political issues.
Weaver said the only other interest he knew Basoflas had was in computers.
Jade Linton, another Fort Hays student involved in Model UN with Weaver and Basoflas, said Basoflas was eager to learn and to help the group. Linton said she was surprised by the allegations because she didn’t think the alleged incident fit Basoflas’ “sweet demeanor.”
Linton said that Basoflas seemed upset and apologetic about leaving Hays for Lawrence at the final Model UN meeting, but that the level of his distress seemed slightly off with the actual relationship between the club’s members,
“He was very sad about leaving and very ‘we can still be friends’ about leaving, but I didn’t really know why — the club wasn’t very tight-knit,” Linton said.
Some of Basoflas’ neighbors at Peppertree said they did not see Basoflas often and that when they did, he kept to himself, talking only on occasion.
Police officers are still investigating and have not yet released any details about evidence involved in the case beyond that the second charge involved one dog, which is now dead.
Basoflas’ next court appearance is set for 2 p.m., Feb. 24.
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Comments
Sophomore charged with animal cruelty has been released from custody
I think it was unethical of you to run a picture and caption which so easily allows a reader to find Basoflas's apartment.
Sophomore charged with animal cruelty has been released from custody
The authorities have to shut down this lunatic. He's already a serial killer and no doubt we'll be hearing more from him in the future, again and again and again. Will his animal serial killing progress to human killing, as so often happens? Time will tell. The article doesn't mention the dog rape and murder by this individual.
Penalties for animal cruelty need to be increased at least tenfold. Let's hope they keep this low life scum of the streets for a long time.
Sophomore charged with animal cruelty has been released from custody
This loser needs to be put away. He should also be thrown out of KU and the USA.
Sophomore charged with animal cruelty has been released from custody
Is hanging an option here? Seriously, I was very irritated that time some tool threw a rabbit off a balcony, and now it's entirely possible this guy will continue to do... whatever it is he likes to do. From another article: "Cem Basoflas, 20, originally from Turkey, is attending KU on a student visa, where he is majoring in physics. Police originally arrested Basoflas on charges of criminal sodomy and animal cruelty after police questioned him about a dead dog, but prosecutors have so far only charged him with animal cruelty."
Criminal sodomy. A dead dog. A history of abuse. "a large quantity of blood".
I'm not one of those "more rights for animals than people" guys, but if he also wet the bed at a late age and loves to start fires, he's a rabid dog, a danger and a menace.
Sophomore charged with animal cruelty has been released from custody
Why did it take so long for this man to be found out? Are there others out there doing the same thing? I am going to look at everyone walking a dog a little bit differently now though I don't want to. Last night about 8:15 pm. we were driving down 23rd street, having turned off Iowa, going east and saw a puppy lying in the middle of the street. I am thinking it was somewhere around Hastings. It had a collar and a tag. It was so sad and there was so much traffic at that hour. It was a dark colored puppy. Does anyone know anything about this? The owner must be heartbroken. My sympathies go out to them.
Sophomore charged with animal cruelty has been released from custody
Brandon_Minster- Don't worry too much about him. As outraged as everyone is, I doubt anyone is crazy enough to get themselves put in jail over this scum bag. I know exactly where Basoflas lives because he lives in the exact same apartment that I moved out of in 2007. Pending charges aside, management is known for being extremely touchy about the carpets there. They wanted me to replace my carpet after only 10 months of use (it was brand new when I moved in). I refused, and they couldn't come up with the criteria they needed for them to legally force me to replace it. My point is, if 10 months of obsessive compulsive cleaning was too dirty for them, the state of his apartment in addition to the alleged crimes committed there would be grounds for termination of his lease. They would be likely to lose other tenants if they allowed him to stay as well since it is known as being a pet-friendly community there. I doubt Basoflas is there.
Sophomore charged with animal cruelty has been released from custody
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Sophomore charged with animal cruelty has been released from custody
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