Alfred "Chuck" Bedinger II, 45, of Byron Center was arraigned in Grandville District Court on charges of animal cruelty and illegal entry.
He is accused of entering the trailer of Elena Almanza while the family was away and killing the cat. Residents had complained about stray cats in the area.
Bedinger is free on $4,000 bond. He could face up to four years in prison if convicted.
He is an employee of the LaGrande Mobile Home Court trailer park.
Almanza said her family adopted the gray stray cat approximately two weeks ago. The cat, they called Smoky, had been slinking around their trailer.
She said, "Really, he kind of adopted us. He was just the friendliest cat we ever saw."
Bedinger allegedly told police earlier this week he didn't intend to hurt the cat but was forced to when the cat scratched and bit him.
"My daughter's 4 years old, and she carried him by the neck wtihout any problem," she said. "Smoky was not a violent cat, period."
They decided not to tell their children what happened to Smoky but will probably say he ran away.
They gave neighbors permission to enter their trailer to clean up the blood stains on the carpet from the cat's death. Case UpdatesA jury deliberated for almost nine hours and found Alfred "Chuck" Bedinger, 47, guilty of animal cruelty in the beating death of a cat. He faces up to four years in prison when he is sentenced next month in Kent County Circuit Court.
The jurors couldn't reach a verdict on the more serious charge of second-degree home invasion and it was dismissed by the court. They couldn't decide whether Bedinger had permission when he entered the home where he used a hammer to kill the family's cat. | Source: Grand Rapids MI Press - Feb 22, 2000
Update posted on Apr 22, 2005 - 6:12PM |
References | Grand Rapids MI Press - June 24, 1999 |
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