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The appeals panel branded Prochnow a “repeat offender” who must be stopped. She now has until next Friday to pay up or go to jail.
Following separate trials, a local judge convicted Prochnow of twice violating an Edgewater ordinance that prohibits feeding wild animals. A state judge in Hackensack agreed, and Prochnow appealed.
The first time Prochnow got in trouble, she was feeding corn kernels to more than a dozen geese on the River Walk on May 26, 2008. David Raindorf, a resident who lives nearby, came out of his townhouse and asked her to stop.
She refused.
Raindorf was upset about the frequent presence of geese “massing next to [his] house,” he later told police.
The next summons was issued on June 25, 2008 by Helen Ciccarelli, an Edgewater code official who just happened to be riding her bicycle along the walk when, she said, she saw Prochnow surrounded by more than 25 geese.
Ciccarelli said Prochnow was feeding them “greenish-yellowish seeds from her pocket.”
Prochnow, who lives in North Bergen, says she’s been visiting the geese for about 18 years and has become acquainted with three generations of regulars. The geese recognize her and gather around, Prochnow says, insisting she doesn’t feed them.
The appeals judges refused to get into a their-word-against-hers evidence argument. The state judge already took care of that, they said.
However, Prochnow also told the appeals panel she considers the fines excessive. The judges, in turn, said she already had been warned and been given a summons.
“Considering the need to deter a repeat offender, we conclude that the sentence does not shock the judicial conscience,” they wrote.
It’s been tough finding Prochnow. We’ve tried for two weeks now. If you know her, or someone who can reach her, please contact CLIFFVIEW PILOT. Write: GerardJDeMarco@gmail.com. Or call: 201.943.2794
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