The Lawrence Veterinary Hospital and the Lawrence Humane Society have yet to be paid thousands of dollars owed by former student Cem Basoflas stemming from an animal cruelty case in February.

Charles Branson, Douglas County district attorney, issued a statement in a press release in May that said Cem Basoflas, exchange student from Istanbul, Turkey, would be ordered to pay $1,400 in restitution to the Lawrence Humane Society for investigative fees, and $3,473.10 in restitution to James Kraft, the veterinarian who cared for one of the injured cats.

The decision came after Basoflas pled guilty to two counts of cruelty to animals. Branson ruled to deport Basoflas rather than keep him in a Douglas County jail.

“While I have a strong desire to see Mr. Basoflas serve a significant sentence in jail, I must do what is best for our community. At a jail expense of $113, public safety is best served by his deportation from our community and our country,” said Branson in the press release.

Employees of the veterinary hospital and humane society said they were worried they would not see the court-ordered restitutions if Basoflas was allowed to leave the country.

“We have not seen a dime,” Midge Grinstead, director of the humane society, said. “I’m assuming they let him go home and didn’t make him pay. I’ll have to go to Turkey to get our money back.”

Grinstead said the fees for the Humane Society included $1,000 for necropsies, or animal autopsies, of two cats, and $400 for care of another cat with injuries that included fractured ribs, a torn anus and a broken hip.

Rebecca Moore, office manager of Lawrence Veterinary Hospital, said attempts made to recover money owed to her office had been unsuccessful.

“It’s been really frustrating. It’s not the money we’re worried about. We want to do anything we can to cause him more inconvenience,” Moore said of Basoflas. “It was a joke he was let go so fast.”

Moore said her office had not been reimbursed for treating a cat for multiple broken ribs, a broken sternum and a punctured lung.

Cheryl Wright, assistant to the district attorney, said Basoflas’s restitution requirements were now the responsibility of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office.

Gail Montenegro, public affairs officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Basoflas was in ICE custody pending removal from the U.S. Attempts to contact Basoflas were unsuccessful.

“For operational security reasons we do not discuss the specifics of an individual’s scheduled removal,” said Gail Montenegro, public affairs officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Despite frustration over the unpaid fees, Moore said her office decided to keep the treated cat, named Wanda, as a permanent office cat. She said several people had visited the office to inquire about Wanda’s health.

“It’s a good ending for a bad story,” she said.

— — Edited by Hannah DeClerk