Roberts, the 84-year-old, asks officers “This is what you’re wasting city gas on?” and tries to give her car keys to Alston, at which point the officer says, “It’s going to get ugly if you don’t stop.” The officers then tell the women that if they don’t leave the area, they’ll be arrested for trespassing and taken to jail. Alston responds that she has set a trap to catch and remove the cats so that they don’t become a nuisance. One officer tells the women they have to leave the area, because “the city does not want anybody feeding the animals around here” and creating a nuisance. Army - as the two women sit in their cars on a vacant lot owned by Elmore County and prepare to feed and trap feral cats nearby. Wetumpka police body camera footage shows three officers approaching Mary Alston, 60, and Beverly Roberts - an 84 year old, disabled veteran who served 20 years in the U.S. WATCH: You can watch the body camera footage here. ![]() Two women have been arrested, jailed, and criminally charged for feeding and trying to trap feral cats on public land, with the intent of reducing the community’s stray cat population in Wetumpka, Alabama. We’ll keep watching this case, which has made international headlines. A GoFundMe account to pay for legal costs for the women already has gathered more than $80,000, according to news reports. The women’s attorneys are appealing the decision and asking for a jury trial in circuit court. Both women also were told to pay a $100 fine each and court costs. ![]() The jail time was suspended, meaning the women won’t go to jail. Alston was convicted of criminal trespassing and interfering with governmental operations. ![]() Roberts was convicted of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. ![]() UPDATE (): In a ruling ridiculed by animal welfare leaders and former court staff, Wetumpka Municipal Court Judge Jeff Courtney sentenced Beverly Roberts, 85, and Mary Alston, 61, to two years of supervised probation and 10 days of jail after law enforcement found the women feeding and trapping feral cats on public property. However, they have until June 25 to reinstate charges. UPDATE (): City prosecutors stated they will no longer pursue the case. PETITION TARGETS: Wetumpka Police Chief Greg Benton, Wetumpka Municipal Court Prosecutors
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