On May 31, a 16-year-old male juvenile and 20-year-old man reportedly bragged to bystanders about how they had injured a tiny black and white kitten.
Meghan Payne, 17, of Ashtabula, said "(The juvenile) said he beat the kitten up. Then (the 20-year-old) bragged � he bragged � about what he did to the cat. He said he broke its legs and then threw it over the garage.�
Meghan and two friends took the kitten and one of its siblings to her house and notified the authorities. That was Tuesday evening.
�I thought it was going to die right there in my arms,� Meghan said.
The Lakeside High School teen cared for the injured kitten, which she discovered was a male, the best she knew how, while trying to raise enough money to take him to a veterinarian.
�Everywhere I called, (the veterinarian clinics) said they wanted all the money up front,� she said. �The Animal Protective League said they would euthanize him, but I wanted to give him a chance to live.�
She named the kitten �Lucky� after he seemed to perk up when she got him to eat a little bit of food. He fell asleep purring in her arms, but it was painfully obvious the kitten had suffered two broken legs and, possibly, some internal damage. She said she could tell he was in pain.
On the afternoon of June 2, Meghan drove Lucky to Edgewood Veterinary Hospital on State Road, where veterinarian Gregory Roberts agreed to care for the cat for $30.
Roberts said Lucky has a fractured left front leg and left back leg. He will need surgery and antibiotics, as well as lots of tender loving care in the veterinary hospital.
�I'm not going to charge (Meghan) very much,� he said. �She�s trying to help this kitten.�
Meghan said police told her they went to the Eureka Road home, but everyone there denied having hurt the kitten.
�They said they found it that way,� she said.
She contends the acts were purposeful and she and two of her friends witnessed the boys boasting about the animal abuse. References« Back to Search Results Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges. For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.
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