Batavia woman charged with stealing neighbors' cat after accusing it of killing her chipmunks

chicagotribune ^

[JoeProBono]

Missing feline Linus 'thinks he's a dog,' owners say. Linus, a cat that "thinks he's a dog," is missing. And a Batavia woman -- who the cat's owners say accused their feline of killing chipmunks -- is charged after allegedly luring Linus with tuna.

Brenda Scharlau, 55, of the 100 block of North Harrison Street is charged with misdemeanor theft in connection with the missing 9-year-old American shorthair, which is owned by Scharlau's next-door neighbors, Batavia Deputy Chief Gregory Thrun said Tuesday. Linus' owner, Jody Lay, alleges her neighbor, angry that Linus was harassing chipmunks in her yard, caught the cat and drove west 10 to 15 miles to Lily Lake or Virgil in western Kane County before letting it out.

[JoeProBono]

Linus the cat has been accused of harassing chipmunks. Linus' owner, Jody Lay, alleges her neighbor, who was angry about this activity, caught the cat and drove west 10 to 15 miles to Lily Lake or Virgil in western Kane County before letting it out. (Photo courtesy Matt Lay)

[americanophile]

J’Accuse!

[Frantzie]

People should not allow their pets to roam unless they have a farm or their own acreage.

[peace with honor]

Bush’s Fault

[Daffynition]

Send in reinforcements.

[Lurker]

I certainly hope the woman who let her cat roam free is ticketed for that AND that the woman who committed the theft is charged.

L

[dainbramaged]

Send Linus over here - chipmunks are building a condo underneath our rock garden. Just mail ordered some repellent that is made from fox urine, hope it works.

[BuffaloJack]

> I certainly hope the woman who let her cat roam free is ticketed for that AND that the woman who committed the theft is charged.
No leash laws for cats only dogs.

[greatdefender]

I wounder he has a lightsaber?

[Lurker]

No leash laws for cats only dogs

Not in my town. It's just as illegal to let a cat roam as it is to let a dog roam.

[Vaduz]

Hope Alvin is ok.

[Apercu]

Linus got nothin’ on Carl Spackler.(Caddyshack) - [preparing to dynamite the gopher tunnel] In the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, ‘Au revoir, gopher’.

[Travis T. OJustice]

If the cat owner kept it on their own property, there would have been no problem.

How can they charge the person if the cat is merely “missing”? Cats take off on their own all the time.

[Dosa26]

My tiger cat killed everything in sight. GUILTY. 15 miles, it will walk back if it doesn’t find better hunting grounds.

[Daffynition]

He has *issues.*

[PERKY2004]

Cats and chipmunks in one story ... oh my!

[Slings and Arrows]

[Monkey Face]

What???

Where is she? I’ll take a few hours to talk to her...

[MissDairyGoodnessVT]

I can send in my Benjamin

[martin_fierro]

Anyone you know?