Maryland's highest court suspended a lawyer convicted of breaking into a home and killing a kitten in a microwave.
Stanley E. Protokowicz Jr.'s actions were "a world apart from what this court, the profession and the public is entitled to expect from members of the bar," the Court of Appeals said in its opinion Friday.The Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission had sought to have Protokowicz disbarred.
Protokowicz was convicted in 1992 of breaking into the home of the estranged wife of a close friend and former client, Thomas San-ders.
Protokowicz testified he and his friend were drunk when they broke into the house to look for stock certificates that were part of Sanders' divorce case.
During the break-in, Pro-to-ko-wicz testified, he put the family's 7-month-old kitten, Max, in the microwave because it was underfoot and accidentally activated the oven.
Protokowicz pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of breaking and entering and cruelty to animals and received a 15-month suspended jail sentence. He was ordered to get treatment for alcoholism.
Richard M. Karceski, Pro-to-ko-wicz's lawyer, said the indefinite suspension was appropriate.