Florida roommate charged with drowning pet spider in soda: ‘Yes I’m an evil spider killer!!’

NY Post ^ | 08/06/2024 | Olivia Land

[DFG]

A Florida woman has been charged with drowning her roommate’s tiny pet spider in a can of soda — later bragging about it online, writing: “Yes I’m an evil spider killer!!”

Ilena Renae Rasmussen, 43, was arrested on July 29 after texting her roommate and “admitting to drowning [her] jumping spider in ginger ale,” the Okaloosa Sheriff’s Office wrote in an affidavit obtained by the Miami Herald.

She then repeatedly referred to the accusations in a series of cruel social media posts — including a photo of her holding a can of ginger ale, just like the one she allegedly used to kill her roommate’s $70 pet.

Rasmussen also posted her mugshot — writing, “It’s me! LMFAO!” — and updated her bio to read: “Yes I’m an evil spider killer!! Oh the drama!!”

Rasmussen has been charged with one count of animal cruelty and one count of petty theft over the creepy crawly killing of the $70 pet in her Crestview home, online records showed.

Jumping spiders are typically no bigger than three-quarters of an inch in size and have nearly 360-degree vision thanks to their large, distinctive eight eyes.

Still, they are so beloved by admirers that they are dubbed “eight-legged cats,” according to Chasing Bugs.

[SunkenCiv]

A $70 spider? For that kind of money it had better learn to make my breakfast. Ya got eight eyes? You will have noticed I've got flyswatters within reach in every room in the house.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Yeah, I am not fond of anything with more then four legs. I don't kill them, except for the brown recluse which is one evil critter, but I do tend to find them a new home far away from me.

But the kind of person who would break something someone else cares for out of malice is someone who needs some firm correction.

[left that other site]

I agree. It was the ACT that was evil, and the gloating afterward.

But I still don’t like spiders.

Also, there is the “exotic pet” issue which is ruining the Everglades. People keep their iguanas and boa constrictors until they are no longer convenient. Then they just throw them out, with devastating consequences. Many of the invasive species that are destroying America now started out as “pets”.