A 63-year-old man was charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly throwing his two cats out of a 13th-floor window of a CHA senior high-rise because he was told he couldn't keep them.
Police were called to the Chicago Housing Authority's Hilliard Homes, 30 W. Cermak Rd., at about 9:14 a.m. for a call of a disturbance, according to Central District Sgt. Charles Popielarz. When the officers arrived they saw two dead cats on the ground, he said.
A building employee told the officers that tenant Booker Butler had become angry when he was told he could not keep his cats in the building, Popielarz said.
Moments later, a witness saw the cats fall from the man's window.
Butler told the police that he "slapped" his cats and they accidentally fell from the window, according to Popielarz.
Butler was arrested and taken to the Central District station, 1718 S. State St., where prosecutors approved two felony counts of animal cruelty, according to Popielarz.
Representatives with the Cook County state's attorney's office were not immediately available to discuss the case.
CHA spokesman Derek Hill said he had not been notified of the incident Monday afternoon, but added that under most circumstances, tenants may own a cat as long as they pay an extra security deposit.
Popielarz did not have further information about the cats or how long Butler had owned them.
Butler remained at the Central District station as of 1:30 p.m., and would likely appear in Central Bond Court (Br. 1) at 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to Popielarz Case UpdatesBail $5,000 for man held in tossing cats to death
March 3, 2004
CHICAGO -- Booker Butler, a man accused of throwing two cats out the 13th-floor window of his Near South Side apartment building was ordered held in lieu of $5,000 bail Tuesday, March 2, 2004.
Booker Butler, 63, has been charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty after the cats fell to their deaths Monday from his apartment .
Butler told police that each feline was on a window ledge as he "slapped the cat in the" posterior and "it went flying out the window," according to police.
He told police that he was unable to keep animals in the building, according to the report. Building management officials said the high-rise in the Chicago Housing Authority's Hilliard Homes complex is being vacated and Butler was told he would not be allowed to take the cats to a refurbished high-rise nearby.
If convicted, Butler could face 1 to 3 years in prison. | | Update posted on Mar 6, 2004 - 8:53AM |
Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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