A Morgan Hill woman who is accused of felony animal abuse was scheduled to attend mental health treatment court this week, according to authorities.
The June 15 hearing for Ava Geddes in Santa Clara County’s mental health treatment court was not public. Her next public hearing is scheduled for July 8 at the San Jose Hall of Justice, where the judge and attorneys “will discuss what happened in mental health treatment court, and decide if that is the direction the case is going in,” said Santa Clara County Supervising Deputy District Attorney Vishal Bathija.
The superior court website lists the July 8 hearing as a “Felony Advanced Resolution” proceeding. Such hearings typically strive to reach a plea agreement between the defendant and the DA’s office.
Participants in the county’s mental health treatment court are assessed for any mental health conditions, and evaluated for treatment, housing and other service options, according to the Santa Clara County Superior Court website.
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.
At a March 4 hearing, the judge ordered Geddes to home confinement with a GPS monitoring device while the case makes its way through the court system.
The court also ordered Geddes to be supervised by the county’s Office of Pretrial Services while she is out of custody. Geddes had been previously released on her own recognizance.
Prior to her arrest, Geddes had been known for several years in South County for local volunteer animal rescue efforts.
Geddes’ attorney, Josh Jachimowicz, has previously said in relation to the 2020 charges, Geddes has become “overwhelmed with the magnitude of (the) charitable task” of taking in stray cats.
