Cat beaten to death at fish hatchery
Fitchburg, WI (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Nov 17, 2001
County: Dane
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: John J. Komassa
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
John J. Komassa, 37, of Mount Horeb was charged with animal mistreatment on accusations he beat a cat to death. Komassa is superintendent of a state fish hatchery.
Komassa said that on Nov 17 he saw a cat running loose at the Nevin Fish Hatchery in Fitchburg. The cat got into one of the buildings, Komassa thought he had chased it out.
Two days later he discovered the cat again and it bit him when he tried to remove it. Komassa said it was his only option to kill it, so he grabbed an aluminum bar and beat the cat to death.
The state Department of Natural Resources said Komassa was only doing his job when he killed the cat. The state statute gives hatchery employees the authority to kill animals that present a threat of disease or are eating fish at the hatchery.
Department of Natural Resources spokesman Greg Matthews said "We were pretty shocked when he got a citation for this. In our view, it's a wild animal."
Case Updates| John J. Komasa, 37, of Mount Horeb has had charges dropped because the District Attorney Brian Blanchard said Komassa reasonably believed he was at risk of contracting rabies from the feral animal. The state statute gives hatchery employees the authority to kill animals that present a threat of disease or are eating fish at the hatchery. | Source: Associated Press - Mar 25, 2002
Update posted on Jun 26, 2005 - 8:11PM |
References- Associated Press Wisconsin - Dec 28, 2001
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