Attorneys/Judges
| Judge(s): | Nick Nazaretian |
Images for this Case
Cat shot 30 times, locked in crate, thrown in bay
Brandon, FL (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Sep 1, 2010
County: Hillsborough
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 3 files available
Alleged:
» Giovanni Estrada
» Mildred Krack
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
They call her Lovey, but what a cat went through before she got to Hillsborough animal control is anything but lovely.
Lovey was shot 30 times by a BB gun, and then locked in a plastic crate and thrown into McKay Bay.
"Obviously this is an heineous act of animal cruelty, " said Pam Perry, an investigator with Hillsborough county Animal Services.
A passerby noticed noises in the area and found the cat.
Lovey was rushed to a Brandon animal hospital where doctors said they could hardly believe their eyes when they saw one of her x-rays. They found more than 30 BBs lodged in her body.
If the wounds on the cat weren't bad enough, animal control said the crate they found her in was downright disturbing.
Someone had tagged the crate to look like a jail cell, going as far as writing "kitty penitentiary" along the front.
"This took time to do," Perry said. "This was intentional and this is somebody that needs to be located and stopped if this has not already happened to other cats."
Vets think Lovey will make a full recovery if her wounds don't get infected. She won't be up for adoption because her case is under investigation, but vets have a foster home lined up for the cat.
No one has been arrested in the case.
There is a $1,000 reward for tips leading to the arrest of the person responsible.
If that person is caught they could face up to five years in prison.
Case UpdatesDetails of an animal abuse case that horrified the community last month came to light Wednesday in a Hillsborough County courtroom, where investigators sought to keep the former cat owner and her boyfriend away from animals for good.
County Judge Nick Nazaretian ruled that Mildred "Missy" Krack, 26, can never have another pet in Hillsborough.
A hearing for her 19-year-old boyfriend, Giovanni Estrada, who has been charged with animal cruelty, was rescheduled for Nov. 5.
Krack said she thought Estrada had planned to release Mittens into the wild after the cat ate one of his pet crawfish. She said she didn't know he planned to shoot Mittens with pellets and dump her in the bay.
"What kind of person does that?" Nazaretian asked her.
"A very sick person," Krack answered in a soft voice. "I didn't know he was going to do that. We were supposed to be letting her go."
But Krack didn't explain why Mittens was put into a cat carrier decorated with labels like "Kitty Penitentiary" and "Cell 666." The carrier lists a "Warden" as "Missy."
The judge read over the doodles in disgust. "Do you run some sort of jail?" he asked.
"No," Krack nearly whispered.
And the decorations?
"That was Giovanni's idea," Krack said. "He had originally told me that decorating the carrier was a joke."
Investigators said Estrada told them the two crawfish he kept in a fish tank were some of his first pets, one of the investigators, Cpl. Ken Vetzel, testified.
The one Mittens got a hold of was named Crawfish Sr., an animal services spokeswoman said.
Nazaretian reacted with surprise. "But you go to restaurants and they eat those," the judge said.
As for the punishment for Mittens' meal, Krack told investigators Estrada locked the cat in the carrier and drove it to the bay a couple of days later.
On Wednesday, Krack told Nazaretian that she sat obliviously in Estrada's truck while Estrada took the cat carrier to the water. She said she didn't hear the BB gun shots over the truck's radio.
Cpl. Vetzel said Krack gave him a different account about what happened at the edge of the water. In Krack's recorded statements, she told investigators she and Estrada were there together.
After Estrada shot the cat, he and Krack stood there, embracing, Vetzel testified. Krack said she was crying, her back to the bay, when Estrada kicked the cat carrier to the water.
The cat was discovered near 3 a.m. Sept. 1 by a couple walking along the beach who heard gurgling coming from the water.
The couple took the battered cat to Florida Veterinary Services. Investigators said Mittens, who was renamed Lovey, was adopted by a veterinarian and is doing well. The cat now has a "Mrs. Lovey Howell" page on Facebook that includes status updates and get-well cards.
Tips to Hillsborough County Animal Services led investigators to Estrada and Krack about two weeks into the investigation.
Estrada was charged with felony animal cruelty. Criminal charges against Krack are pending.
Pam Perry, animal services' investigations manager, said Krack's involvement is complicated because it seems Estrada had emotional control over her.
Perry described Krack as meek and in denial.
"She was a participant in this," Perry said. "Is she a victim as well? Quite possibly."
Nazaretian ordered Krack to have no contact with Estrada.
"I just wish this had never happened," she told the judge. | Source: St Petersburg Times - Oct 15, 2010
Update posted on Oct 15, 2010 - 7:19PM |
A man has been arrested in a heinous animal abuse case in Hillsborough County.
Giovanni Estrada, 19, is charged with two counts of felony animal abuse. Investigators say he confessed to the crime.
"Leads started streaming in quickly," said Hillsborough County Animal Services investigator Pam Perry at a press conference Friday. "We sorted them and it became quite clear who we were focusing on."
The cat, later named Lovey, survived being shot 30 times by a BB gun, and then locked in a plastic crate and thrown into McKay Bay.
A passer-by heard noises in McKay Bay and found the cat in a carrier in the water. The cat's crate was tagged to look like a jail cell. The words "kitty penitentiary" was also written along the front.
"Make no mistake about it, this was a crime of anger and anger was mentioned and anger was evident and at the root of it," said Marti Ryan, with Animal Services.
Investigators credit the use of social media with making an arrest in the case.
"Us believing that people involved were using Facebook enabled us to get in there, get a little more probable cause," said Hillsborough County Animal Services Operations Director Dennis McCullough.
They also worked tirelessly on the case.
"This was a 24-hour a day, seven day a week operation," said Perry. "It wasn't just one shift, one person."
Investigators say the cat did not belong to Estrada, but his 26-year-old girlfriend, who is also being questioned in the case.
Estrada bonded out on abuse charges, leaving neighbors like Bettyanne Dray, who owns five dogs, uneasy. She even feeds the neighbors cats on occasion.
Dray fed Lovey before it was left to die earlier this month.
"The little black cat he would come around I would give it some food," she said.
Lovey has since been adopted and is still in recovery.
As for the nearly $12,000 reward money, it will not be given out until a conviction is made and will likely have to be spit up.
Animal Services has a new 24-hotline to report animal cruelty at 813-744-5550 | Source: Bay News 9 - Sept 21, 2010
Update posted on Sep 21, 2010 - 12:19PM |
The reward has increased for information about the case of a cat that was shot 30 times, then thrown into a bay.
The cat, now named Lovey, was discovered early Wednesday by a passer-by who heard noises in McKay Bay and found the cat in a carrier in the water. Lovey had been shot several times with a BB gun. The cat is recovering from her injuries.
An initial reward for information leading to the suspects in the case was set at $1,000, but as word about Lovey and her ordeal spread around the Bay area, community members pitched in with contributions of their own.
The reward now stands at $5,000.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Hillsborough County Animal Services at 813-744-5660. | Source: Bay News 9 - Sept 3, 2010
Update posted on Sep 21, 2010 - 12:18PM |
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