DATE: Monday, October 6, 1997               TAG: 9710060071

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   63 lines

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO. . . THE FERRO FAMILY AND THEIR ``ANIMAL HOUSE''

In 1992 and '94, officers from Norfolk's animal control and police departments raided the Ferro family's Ghent home and seized dozens of unlicensed cats, dogs and rabbits that they found roaming freely about the sprawling urine- and feces-stained, three-story home. The first raid netted more than 200 pets; the second, about 30.

The infamous ``Animal House'' owned by the Ferro family stands empty now, as do two other homes the animal-loving family owns just two blocks down the street.

That is, there are no humans living there; no one has been inside in a while to see whether any animals remain.

Neighbors said Raquel Ferro - also known as Rochelle - moved out of the house at 914 Colonial Ave. about a month ago and reportedly is living with one of her daughters in Maryland. Neither Raquel nor any of her children could be reached for comment.

Her son, Harry, who owns a house at 717 Colonial Ave., has been forced out of his home for various housing code violations. The other house, at 721 Colonial, owned by one of Harry's sisters, was partially burned during a fire in August.

Both of the houses in the 700 block of Colonial Ave. have been boarded up by the city and posted as being unfit for human occupancy.

Last year, Harry settled a lawsuit he had filed against the city for $7,000 in damages. He claimed the city violated his due-process rights when officers raided the family home and then kept the animals for two months afterward.

Although Harry's squabbles with animal control officials have quieted lately, his troubles with the city are far from over. He was convicted of the housing code violations - most were minor infractions involving problems with the home's exterior - and fined.

He also has been charged with felony grand larceny, accused of taking items from the house at 914 Colonial Ave. A court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15.

That house now is owned by one of his sisters, and she has asked city officials to enforce a ``no trespassing'' order against her brother, said a city attorney familiar with the case.

The city attorney's office also has a show-cause hearing scheduled for the same day in which lawyers will ask a judge to set limits on when Harry can enter the house he owns at 721 Colonial. Neighbors have complained that he goes in there frequently and may even be living there at times.

Norfolk senior humane officer Mark Kumpf, who asked for the search warrants for both of the raids, said he still gets calls from neighbors that Harry has been outside the house at night rounding up dogs.

``We've received sporadic complaints over the years, but nothing that has warranted us going out there and raiding the place'' again, Kumpf said.

Still, Kumpf said he can't help but look in the windows when he drives by the house to see whether any animals remain. ``I'm getting ready to pass by there right now,'' he said one day last week, ``and I'll probably look in when I drive by, to see if there's any cats hanging out in the windows.'' MEMO: Whatever Happened To. . . appears every Monday, and we welcome

your suggestions for people and subjects to update. Dial INFOLINE at

640-5555 and press 7878 to leave a message for Jane Harper. ILLUSTRATION: RICHARD L. DUNSTON/File photo

Shirley Ferro, on the phone, with mother Rochelle and brother Harry,

discussing an animal-boarding bill in 1994. The house that was

raided in 1992 and 1994 is empty now.

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