A 14-year-old Franklin Township Middle School student was arrested April 21, 2006 on allegations she abused her family's cat and posted a video of the incident on the Internet.
Authorities said the video -- which the girl allegedly posted on MySpace.com -- shows that most of the cat was wrapped in cellophane, immobilizing the animal. The cat's head was not wrapped.
The video shows someone nudging or kicking the wrapped cat. Eventually, the cat was able to get its front legs free.
Animal care and control investigators called the incident torture. The girl was arrested at school on April 21, 2006 on felony charges of animal cruelty, 6News' Jack Rinehart reported. "My reaction was that there was a cat that was scared and was being a little bit tortured," said Media Wilson, spokeswoman for the city's animal care and control division. Wilson said the cat "will be fine." "There's no permanent damage, to my knowledge, to the animal, and the child will get the help that she needs," Wilson said.
The girl was expected to remain behind bars through the weekend. She is expected to attend a court hearing April 24, 2006. Case UpdatesTwo teen-age girls who abused a cat have been sentenced to probation for the upcoming school year and ordered to prepare a presentation on animal cruelty and how to care for a pet.
The Marion County girls must give the presentation to elementary school children and have only supervised contact with animals. | Source: IndyStar - Aug 3, 2006
Update posted on Aug 3, 2006 - 1:38PM |
Two teenage girls charged with cruelty to an animal face sentencing Aug. 1 in Marion Superior Court following a fact-finding hearing Tuesday.
Authorities were alerted to the video by a letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The nearly two-minute video showed the girls dropping, shoving and kicking the plastic-wrapped cat, named Stump, around a room, making comments such as "How does it feel?"
The social-networking site, used by more than 40 million people, lets users create their own Web pages and is especially popular with teens and young adults. The 19-pound cat was removed from its home, but a judicial officer later ordered its return.
"Stump's back home," said Roger Rayl, a spokesman for Prosecutor Carl Brizzi.
Authorities have withheld the girls' names because the animal cruelty charge they face would be a misdemeanor if it had involved an adult. | Source: IndyStar - June 13, 2006
Update posted on Jun 13, 2006 - 7:52PM |
A tip from an animal-rights group led to charges against two 14-year-old Marion County girls who posted a video of themselves kicking a cat wrapped in plastic on the popular Web site MySpace.com.
"I think we have a pretty good case," Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said Thursday as he watched the video online for the first time.
Authorities were alerted to the video by a letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, charging documents indicate.
The nearly two-minute video, which was still on the Web site Thursday afternoon, shows the girls dropping, shoving and kicking the plastic-wrapped cat, named Stump, around a room, making comments such as "How does it feel?"
MySpace.com officials could not be reached for comment. The social-networking site, used by more than 40 million people, lets users create their own Web pages and is especially popular with teens and young adults.
"Someone saw this video of cat abuse and contacted our organization," said Kristin DeJournett, a cruelty caseworker for PETA based in Memphis, Tenn. The organization contacted animal control and the Marion County prosecutor's office.
PETA learned of the video April 12 and sent out the notices the next day, DeJournett said.
The cat was removed from the home by Indianapolis animal-control officers, according to the prosecutor's office.
Both girls have been released to their mothers pending a trial June 13. Authorities withheld the girls' names because the animal cruelty charge they face would be a misdemeanor if it had involved an adult. Names of juveniles charged with felony-level offenses are public.
The girls are not allowed to leave their homes unless they are accompanied by a parent or are attending school. They also cannot have contact with animals or each other or use computers unless they are doing schoolwork.
"It's against the law to mistreat animals, for a reason. This cat urinated on itself when this was over," Brizzi said. "These girls may need counseling. This kind of behavior means there could be issues that need to be dealt with before they do something worse."
The cat was in good condition Thursday, said Media Wilson, a spokeswoman for Animal Care & Control.
"Stump is 19 pounds, which is overweight, but is otherwise healthy," she said. "He suffered no lasting damage as a result of the alleged abuse."
The cat may be returned to its owner and is not available for adoption, she said. Another cat and a dog were taken from the same residence.
The head of one of the city's oldest animal-protection organizations worries that children who abuse animals can grow up to become people who abuse other people.
"I certainly think that seeing young children involved in animal abuse is a scary thing," said Martha Boden, CEO of the Humane Society of Indianapolis. "The more quickly we can try to help the children, the animals and the family involved, the better." | Source: IndyStar - April 28, 2006
Update posted on Apr 28, 2006 - 12:28PM |
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