A Villager has been arrested after repeatedly feeding stray cats.
Sheila Anne Valastro, 70, of the Village of Fenney, was taken into custody on Friday on a warrant charging her with trespassing.
Valastro ran afoul of officials in the City of Coleman where she had been feeding stray cats, according to information from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
She was officially banned on July 28 from the Coleman Community Center, where she had been feeding the cats. The city’s interim mayor spotted Valastro back at the community center on Oct. 22 where she was once again feeding the cats. The mayor shot a photo of Valastro as well as her silver Hyundai Elanta and its license plate.
The mayor told deputies this had been going on for a “long time” and that the cats had become a public nuisance. The mayor said the cats were continually at the community center, which is used on a daily basis by the public. In addition to stray cats, the amount of food Valastro was providing also attracted buzzards.
In addition to being a cat lover, Valastro reportedly is also a talented musician, giving of her time and talents here in The Villages.
She was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $1,000 bond.