Animal Abuse: Kittens sealed into wall with urethane foam - Las Vegas, NV

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Case ID: 13835

Classification: Choking / Strangulation / Suffocation

Animal: cat

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Kittens sealed into wall with urethane foam
Las Vegas, NV (US)

Incident Date: Sunday, Jun 1, 2008
County: Clark

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Richard Carter

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Las Vegas Animal Control is investigating a possible case of animal cruelty. Over the weekend, six kittens were sealed into a block wall at a local apartment complex using urethane foam, a type of insulation that hardens around anything it touches.

Volunteers with Happy Home Animal Sanctuary were made aware of the crime and rescued the kittens.

Unfortunately, the foam had already done damage. One kitten had to be euthanized, but the rest are with foster families who are carefully working to remove the thick coating of foam.

While Animal Control won't comment on this situation, volunteers with the rescue group say that it appears that the kittens are sealed in the wall intentionally.

Case Updates

It's been eight months since a group of stray kittens were found sealed in a block wall. Now, the animal cruelty trial against the man accused of putting them there is underway.

The first witness to take the stand described the condition of the kittens as the most awful thing she has ever seen in her life.

"The worst one sounded like Velcro, only one speck of nostril showing just...disgusting," recalls Sidney Olivera.

31-year-old Richard Carter took notes throughout the testimony Thursday. Carter faces six charges of animal cruelty after six kittens were entombed in a wall near the Northpointe Apartment Complex where he was a maintenance supervisor.

At least two other employees and the property manager testified that the defendant did not like the cats and was going to get ride of them.

"He told me he was going to fill in the holes," says Salvador Carillo.

The manager said after the kittens were found, Carter gave her a written statement admitting he filled the holes.

"He wrote he didn't know the cats were in there."

Both the prosecution and the defense spent time with each witness going over pictures of the wall and the foamed-in holes, each trying to determine if the kittens could have escaped on their own.

Volunteers who removed the kittens told the court it took several hours to remove them from the wall and that they were covered in the foam. Carter allegedly sprayed into the holes where the kittens were living. However, none of the witnesses could testify that they actually saw the defendant spray the foam into the holes.

The prosecution still has several witnesses to call before the defense begins. One of the kittens pulled out of the wall did not survive.

Source: kvbc.com - Feb 13, 2009
Update posted on Feb 13, 2009 - 12:54PM

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Kittens sealed into wall with urethane foamLas Vegas, NV (US)

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Kittens sealed into wall with urethane foam
Las Vegas, NV (US)