Posted on 05/30/2002 6:15:41 PM PDT by Inge_CAV
Colbert man charged in cat’s death
By Emilio Sahurie
Staff Writer
May 8, 2002
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SHEFFIELD - A Colbert County man told police he killed a neighbor's cat early Tuesday morning to save the animal from being mauled by a dog.
Tim McDonald, 36, of 1002 111/2th St., was charged Tuesday morning with one count of cruelty to animals after the cat was beaten with a piece of wood. Animal rights advocates said the incident could be one of the first tests in Colbert of a new state law.
Police Sgt. Greg Ray said McDonald and a group of people were in the back yard of a house at 1006 W. 12th Ave., near Helen Keller Hospital, about 1 a.m.
Teresa Brown, the owner of the cat, called police after witnessing the incident. "Someone at the house was trying to tease a dog with the cat," Ray said.
Rather than incite a dog with the cat, McDonald told an investigator he bludgeoned the cat to death with a piece of wood. Ray said it appears that alcohol was a contributing factor.
Colbert Humane Society President Tana Reid said she hopes the cat's death will prompt people to report more cases of animal cruelty. "Even if you are not an animal lover, if you are just a decent person, you have choices," Reid said. "He could have picked up the cat and taken it somewhere else."
The black-and-white cat wound up on the side of a road near the house Ray visited Tuesday.
Much like a murder investigation, Ray took photographs and took into evidence a bloody 2-by-4-inch piece of wood.
Brown could not be reached for comment.
McDonald declined to comment Tuesday. His case will be reviewed by an upcoming grand jury. If convicted, McDonald could face a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $5,000 under the Pet Protection Act signed into law by Gov. Don Siegelman in 2000. Reid believes McDonald could be the first Shoals man tried under the new law.
Also known as the Gucci Bill, the law makes it a felony crime if a person tortures a dog or cat with the intent to inflict pain, serious injury or death. The law was named for Gucci, a south Alabama dog that was abused, doused with gasoline and set afire.
"People don't take the law seriously," Ray said, "but you can go to prison."
Emilio Sahurie can be reached at 740-5803 or emilio.sahurie@timesdaily.com.
ANIMAL CRUELTY LAWS
More than 30 states provide felony-level penalties, including:
- California, Colorado and Iowa have upgraded animal cruelty laws, mandate psychological evaluation and counseling
- Tennessee judges can impose up to $4,000 in damages.
- Georgia law makes aggravated cruelty to animals a felony with a minimum penalty of 1 year in prison and a fine of up to $15,000.
- Animal cruelty is a felony assault carrying a minimum 180-day sentence and a maximum of five years in prison in South Carolina.
Why don't they charge Planned Parenthood and all the other baby killers in the innumerable deaths of innocent HUMANS?????
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