Posted on 01/06/2023 6:03:06 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
DUNNELLON, Fla. - A Florida man was arrested after detectives say he purposely poisoned pets in his neighborhood using antifreeze.
Marion County investigators arrested 36-year-old Jeremy Stromwall on aggravated animal cruelty charges. On Dec. 2, deputies responded to the 20100 block of Southwest 84th Lane in Dunnellon after receiving a report that a cat had possibly been poisoned.
The pet owner, John Scharf, told investigators his cat, named "Mr. Cat," began acting sick and was having seizures the previous night. He took Mr. Cat to Dunnellon Animal Hospital for treatment, where it passed away. According to the sheriff's office, further testing determined his pet was likely poisoned.
Scharf told FOX 13 he later realized his dog, Bella, also died after experiencing similar symptoms months earlier.
"Oh my gosh, it was terrible," he recalled. "I was up with the poor kitty all night. It was going through convulsions. It was just terrible. It's a tragedy. It's one of these things where you just don't think that you're around people that could do that."
According to the sheriff's office, a veterinarian at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine determined Mr. Cat likely died from ingesting antifreeze. Investigators then exhumed remains of three pets belonging to one of Scharf's neighbors, Cynthia Hadzima, and learned they were also poisoned with antifreeze.
Detectives said they found a bowl of tuna outside the suspect's home, which is across the street from Scharf and Hadzima. The food was sent to Texas A&M University’s Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, where experts tested the tuna and determined that it had been laced with antifreeze.
"They were cute. They were adorable, soft little furballs," said Hadzima, who said at least five of her cats died the same way. "Within a week or two, I would find cats dead on my front lawn and in my driveway."
Deputies searched Stromwall's property and said they found three containers of antifreeze, multiple cans of tuna, and fish-flavored rat poison.
"We're just very grateful that this investigation was able to be concluded with an arrest of someone who was doing this horrible thing and was unable to just because he was annoyed by them or what have you," said Zach Moore, a spokesperson for the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
"[Stromwall] really needs to be in jail. He really does," added Hadzima. "There's something wrong with this guy. He's sick, and he's very, very sick."
The four counts of aggravated animal cruelty charges stem from the four animals that tested positive for antifreeze poisoning.
FOX 13 stopped by Stromwall's home, but no one answered the door.
Or cat spray.
Wandering into his yard it seems, because that’s where they found the cat food with poison—in the perps yard.
Ermahgerd! Animals can’t be dehumanized because they aren’t human.
I use both, but am fine with glue traps.
He is not Florida man. There was no naked man riding a riding mower and no meth. Standards.
“Dehumanize” doesn’t have to apply exclusively to humans. When you’ve declared something to be “worthless” in your mind, you can do anything to it, including murder. That applies to humans or intelligent living creatures. It’s the same argument infanticide-supporting ghouls use, “it’s not human, so therefore...”
Are you vegan?
Nope, but for those that prefer not to eat meat because it troubles their conscience killing animals, I understand.
It’s the same argument infanticide-supporting ghouls use, “it’s not human, so therefore...”
It’s not the same since human fetus are in fact human and animals are manifestly not. Fuzzy logic like yours that makes babies and animals comparable is part of the problem.
Nope, it’s exactly the same argument. Those that think it’s A-OK to murder the unborn are no different than those that think the same with defenseless, domesticated animals (I’m not talking about rats or marauding beasts), the psychopath who thought it was just fine drowning cats, justifying it as a mere “nuisance” or “inconvenience.” That’s sick and evil.
You cannot murder a cat. Murder is the unlawful premeditated killing of another human. I suspect you know that but want to use the word murder for dramatic flair. Please stop doing that, you’re either being a drama queen or you’re just ignorant, neither of which are good.
I agree.
There was a similar case I know of where the father pleaded eith the neighbor who owned over a dozen cats, to keep the cats out of his children’s sand box.
The father did the same thing and killed alm the cats.
When young, I ran a trap line in a fairly remote area. Occasionally I would catch cats. Some you had to finish off as they were wild.
I thought antifreeze had been reformulated to not kill or attract animals to drinking it.
Dude. That wasn’t good.
We had a guy in our neighborhood do this years ago. It couldn’t be proven but everyone knew he was the one who did it. Several dogs suffered excruciating painful deaths. And, he didn’t put the antifreeze on his own property, but rather threw poisoned hot dogs on the other side of the fence onto the path the local dogs used to go to the creek. The property owner of the path didn’t mind that the dogs used it, but the cranky old neighbor did and complained about it all the time.
My property. My rights.
“It’s not the same since human fetus are in fact human and animals are manifestly not. Fuzzy logic like yours that makes babies and animals comparable is part of the problem.”
If you don’t respect life, then you don’t respect life. Many killers start out killing increasingly complex animals.
“I thought antifreeze had been reformulated to not kill or attract animals to drinking it.”
True for SOME types of antifreeze.
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