We need a better way to hold elected and appointed officials accountable. This case easily appears as abuse of (elderly) citizens.
It sounds like this could be selective enforcement - which is a widespread problem, but different from abuse. For example, they make a sarcastic comment about trespassing on public land. You can absolutely be charged for trespassing on public land if you are doing things you aren't allowed to do. That could be just being there after a park closes if it has hours. Or they can charge people who are hunting or trapping because those activities aren't permitted.
There are potential explanations that exist. There are also potential systemic problems here. But without pertinent information about the charges, testimony, etc we won't know.
https://acl.gov/programs/elder-justice/what-elder-abuse
It's not as if 20-somethings are running around sterilizing cats willy-nilly while seniors are jailed for it.
Humans require this tricky thing called "consent" that doesn't apply to cats.
The solution to bad laws isn't to not charge people who get lucky enough to get media attention, it's to change the law.
I disagree. Prosecutors have discretion over whether to prosecute for exactly these situations. You can do both.
I know someone who works at a company that used to be government-run until it was privatized and still internally operates along the same structures. Because there is little incentive to fundamentally change things, new ideas must always come from the top. People in the lower ranks are not just not incentivized to come up with new ideas, any new ideas that may be successful enough will be shot down and buried. The only way to implement new ideas without climbing the ranks yourself is to make your superiors believe it is their idea and allow them to claim the laurels if you succeed.
In other words: you can't just go out and do things. There is a process. And the process is more important than the effect, even if that process is defunct or fails to achieve the outcome.