Cats shot to death
Newington, CT (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Sep 26, 1991
County: Hartford
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Peter Franklin Jr
Peter Franklin Jr, 58, of Cambria Avenue has been charged with three counts of animal cruelty and three counts of illegal use of a firearm following the shooting deaths of cats in the center of town.
Police got their first complaint Sept 26, 1991. They received a report that a cat had returned home bleeding and later died. An autopsy revealed that a small caliber bullet had passed through the cat's body.
The body of a small gray cat was found by the cat's owner wrapped in a garbage bag in Franklin's trash can. Franklin stated he didn't know how the cat wound up there with a bullet in its head.
Prior to the shootings Franklin's neighbors had found many unknown cats dead on Cambria Street.
A man who said he has lived next door to Franklin for more than 30 years as a child had found dead cats in his yard and wondered why. Later, he found domestic animals dead that had been caught in traps by Franklin's garbage cans.
The police got a warrant and searched Franklin's home seizing two .22 caliber rifles and a .22 caliber handgun. Police said they asked Franklin to give them the guns he used to shoot the cats. Franklin gave the guns to the police and said he only shot animals from his property.
Franklin has been released after posting $5,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in New Britain April 8. The maximum penalty for animal cruelty is a $750 fine and/or three years in prison. Illegally shooting a gun to harm animals within city limits carries a maximum $250 fine or three months in prison.
References- Hartford Courant Correspondent - Mar 28, 1992
« CT State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Hartford County, CT
|
