Hi Tor is a private nonprofit that has been funded in part by donations but also relies on contributions by the county via town contracts. Now, with funding secured and plans designed, the long-awaited $8 million shelter is set to break ground this fall on the same county-owned site. Hi Tor has long been plagued by difficulties, given that it’s been operating out of an outdated 1972 facility for almost 50 years and attempts to get the shelter rebuilt have lagged for nearly a decade. Insiders say the raid was unexpected though they believe it may be linked to an effort underway to have Rockland Green assume responsibility of the shelter. “We are cooperating with the DA and will continue to do so,” said Hi Tor Board President Debbie DiBernardo.ĭiBernardo said that the shelter is now operating without access to any files on its animals, including the animals’ medical records. The warrant said the DA’s office is investigating “any and all records of Hi Tor, files, documents, agreements, contracts, financial records, employees’ records, bank documents, account statements, checks, tax docs, tax forms, 1099s, 501c3, notes, correspondence.”

One source said “Hi Tor is not concerned about anything. Hi Tor’s Executive Director Michael Salmond resigned a few days before the raid. There are currently more than 250 animals on site. Insiders said the DA’s office has taken computers and document files, but did not investigate the state of the animals. The Rockland County District Attorney’s Office executed a search warrant Wednesday at the Hi Tor Animal Care Center in Pomona.

Search Warrant Gathers Files, Documents, Records Raid Leaves Shelter Without Computers

Hi tor animal shelter rockland county