Ava Geddes, who is accused of felony animal abuse in Morgan Hill, will return to court later this month in an ongoing effort to resolve the case before a jury trial is required.
Geddes appeared in court in San Jose on July 8. Santa Clara County Supervising Deputy District Attorney Vishal Bathija said prosecutors and Geddes’ attorneys discussed the case behind closed doors, but were unable to reach a plea agreement.
Geddes, who is charged with two felony counts of animal cruelty and one misdemeanor charge of animal neglect, is next scheduled to appear in court July 29.
“We will be asking the court to set a preliminary hearing in the event Ms. Geddes doesn’t want to take responsibility for her crimes,” Bathija said.
In criminal court proceedings, a preliminary hearing is where prosecutors from the DA’s office present evidence to convince a judge that a case should go to trial.
Geddes was arrested by Morgan Hill Police in June 2020 after an investigation that found numerous dead cats and other neglected felines at her home, according to authorities. She is charged with two felony counts of animal cruelty and one misdemeanor charge of animal neglect.
Investigators found at least nine dead cats at Geddes’ home—in various states of decomposition—and seven living cats, according to court records.
Since March 4, Geddes has been ordered to home confinement with GPS monitoring while the case makes its way through the court system.
Geddes has been known locally for her volunteer animal rescue efforts in South County. Her attorney, Josh Jachimowicz, has previously said that Geddes became “overwhelmed” with her rescue efforts.
