E. Northport man, 81, gets 30 days in squirrel killing

An 81-year-old Army veteran who has been involved in disputes with his neighbors and has a host of health problems appeared in a Central Islip courtroom Thursday to begin a 30-day jail sentence for killing a squirrel.

William Thomas, of East Northport, was convicted in February of misdemeanor animal abuse for using a pellet gun to shoot the animal at his home in December 2008. He could have received up to a year in jail.

Authorities said some of Thomas' neighbors have called police with allegations that he left bait in his yard, then shot at wild animals from the window of his house.

Last year, he was convicted of harassment and trespassing, the Suffolk County district attorney's office said. He was acquitted of animal cruelty in 2008.

Thomas has been arrested 12 times since 2005, mostly for wildlife violations and criminal contempt for violating orders of protection granted to neighbors, the district attorney's office said. When he leaves jail, Thomas faces 15 other charges, including one for allegedly shooting a BB gun at a neighbor's home.

Thomas' daughter, Karen Thomas-Hubela of Bayside, Queens, said she is worried that her father may not get sufficient medical care while he is in jail.

Thomas walks with the help of a cane or a walker and takes 11 different medications to treat his ailments, including dementia and hypothyroidism, she said.

"He has a lot of confusion and dizziness" when he does not receive proper medication, Thomas-Hubela said in an interview before her father was taken to the jail in Riverhead. "Hopefully, the people in there have respect for the elderly."

Thomas Thursday did not deny shooting the squirrel and said he doesn't dislike the animals.

"Only when they try to destroy my property," he said.

After appearing before Judge Chris Ann Kelly in First District Court in Central Islip, Thomas was escorted to a bus that took him to the Suffolk County Correctional Facility, where he could spend up to 30 days behind bars. With good behavior, he could be out in 20 days, sheriff's office Chief of Staff Michael Sharkey said.

All inmates are screened for medical and mental health issues when they enter the jail, Sharkey said. Thomas can get medicine from the jail's pharmacy and medical workers are on staff 16 hours a day, he said.

Elderly inmates may be eligible for special housing, Sharkey said, adding that Thomas is not the oldest inmate the jail has had.

"I don't think he's setting any records," he said.

Thomas, who served in the Army Air Corps for three years after World War II, ran an aerial photography business, flying out of Flushing Airport and the Bayport Aerodrome.

When he was first due to report for jail two weeks ago, Thomas was hospitalized with shortness of breath, he said. He felt healthier Thursday.

"I really have no idea what to expect," he said. "I'll do everything they ask me to do [and] refrain from causing [any] problems while I'm incarcerated."