Kitten dragged down road, killed with sledgehammer
Crestview, FL (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 26, 2008
County: Okaloosa
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged:
» Michael Tracy Long, Jr.
» Michael Tracy Long
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
Police say a kitten was dragged down a road before a man killed it with a sledgehammer in front of a group of "freaked out" witnesses.
Michael Tracy Long Jr., 19, of Third Avenue, was arrested last Tuesday and charged with felony animal cruelty. There could be more charges in the incident.
Police allege Long killed the kitten weeks ago, after another person attached jumper cables to its tail and paw and dragged it behind a vehicle.
A woman down the street from the crime scene said the kitten belonged to her son.
Witnesses to the incident gave differing accounts of who hit the kitten and how many times. Some said it had been "foaming at the mouth and trying to attack anyone who came near," according to a Crestview police report. Another man said it had been hit by a car and Long was putting it down.
But animal control officers found no foaming at the kitten's mouth. They were requesting rabies tests.
One woman said she'd seen Long raise the hammer to hit the kitten, but she "freaked out" and ran away before he swung it. A man said the kitten appeared injured and scared, and everyone told Long not to hit it before he did.
Long is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 7.
Case UpdatesAnimal rights activists from across Florida turned a few heads outside the Okaloosa County Courthouse in Crestview Tuesday. The group rallied to protest animal abuse and shed light on a case that's rocked the panhandle. In August, Michael Long and his son, Michael Junior, were arrested on felony animal abuse charges. The men are are accused of killing a kitten with a sledgehammer.
"It was sickening," says Malina Gabriel. "It was absolutely a disgusting thing for a human being to do to a helpless kitten."
"We've got to get the word out about this crime and other crimes like this," says rally organizer Jason Williams. "It happens everyday around here, we're fed up with it, we want to make people aware that this goes on and make them aware that animal abuse is illegal."
The Long's were scheduled to be arraigned in court Tuesday, but since both men entered written not-guilty pleas, they weren't required to go before a judge. The Long's attorney spoke on their behalf. The Long's will be back in court on December 4th. | Source: WKRG -Oct 7, 2008
Update posted on Oct 7, 2008 - 10:57PM |
Two days after 19-year-old Michael Tracy Long Jr. was charged with felony animal cruelty in the death of kitten, the same charge was brought against his father, Michael Tracy Long.
Both men are due to appear in court on Oct. 7 at 1:30 p.m. They are accused of killing the kitten with a sledgehammer and then throwing its body into a neighbor's yard.
In response to news reports about the kitten's death, a Destin man named Jason Williams is organizing a rally on the Crestview Courthouse lawn during the hearing.
"Animals don't have a voice and we have to stand up for them," said Williams, who is a member of PETA. "I just want to make sure that the judicial system does its part and holds these people accountable."
According to the Crestview Police Department arrest report for the younger man, witnesses said that the father and son hit the kitten with a hammer and then put it in a yellow bag and threw it across the street into a neighbor's yard.
Witness accounts of the details varied. Some said that the kitten's owner had been dragging the animal down the street using jumper cables, however no jumper cables could be found. Another neighbor said that the Longs had "put down" the animal after it had been run over by a car. Still another said that it was rabid, "foaming at the mouth," and "trying to attack anyone who came near."
Crestview Animal Control took the kitten's body and were planning to run tests on it, as well as have it X-rayed.
The younger Long was charged Aug. 26. His father was charged two days later.
Williams said that some members of the "rally" may go into the courthouse during the hearing, but most will stay outside.
"We talked to the courthouse and they said we have the right to assemble as long as we stay on the sidewalk and the lawn," he said. "We're going to be outside, inside, where ever we can go."
Though he is a member of PETA, Williams said he is organizing the rally as a private citizen.
For more information about the rally, contact Williams at jaydestin@gmail.com or call him at (850) 424-6851. | Source: The Destin Log - Sept 10, 2008
Update posted on Sep 11, 2008 - 12:21AM |
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