Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Cat beaten, set on fire

Cat beaten, set on fire
Middletown, OH (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Aug 15, 2006
County: Butler
Local Map: available
Disposition: Convicted

Abuser/Suspect: 13 year old boy

Case Updates: 3 update(s) available

Case ID: 9496

Classification: Burning - Fire or Fireworks, Beating

Animal: cat

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Animal was offleash or loose

A 13-year-old Middletown boy is facing an animal cruelty charge after police said he set fire to a cat that had wandered into his yard.

Police said the boy was tired of the cat getting into the garbage, so on the night of Aug 15, he hit it with a piece of wood, wrapped it in an alcohol-soaked tissue and set it on fire.

The cat had to be euthanized, and the boy is charged with delinquency by way of cruelty to animals. He was released to his mother and ordered to appear in Butler County Juvenile Court next month.

The boy's father also was charged with obstructing official business after police said he cursed at officers on the scene.

Case Updates

A Middletown boy arrested in August for setting fire to a cat he said was rooting through garbage admitted to the act of animal cruelty Monday in Butler County Juvenile Court, in Hamilton.

The boy, now 14, told Magistrate Patricia Wilkerson, "I am sorry, not just because I got caught, but for what I did."

He said the better choice would have been to chase the cat out of the yard "rather than taking my frustration out on the cat."

The plea to the second-degree misdemeanor was made after a short hearing in which the boy's attorney Jeremy Evans unsuccessfully sought to suppress the statements the boy made to police.

Before the boy entered his plea, Evans said in some cases animal abuse is a sign of a possible future life of crime.

"I don't think that is the situation here," Evans said.

In August, police were called to an 18th Avenue address on a report of a cat set on fire. According to police reports, the boy, then 13, said he had knocked the cat unconscious with a piece of wood, doused it in rubbing alcohol, wrapped it in a paper towel and set it on fire with a lighter. The cat was barely alive when police arrived and later was euthanized.

When the boy first appeared in court last year, animal activists held posters near the juvenile justice center calling for vigorous prosecution of the youth.

There were no animal activists present Monday, but Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Michael Hon said his office had received about 50 letters from people across the county expressing concern about the case and asking the crime be taken seriously.

After entering the plea of true, equivalent to guilty in adult court, Wilkerson told the boy, "I don't get to say this very often. But I think what we have here is a great kid who has done something wrong."

The magistrate noted the boy is a good student, a mentor, has won numerous awards and is involved in many community and school activities.

"The key is that you learn from this," she said.

Wilkerson ordered the boy to stay away from the neighbor's property where the incident occurred and to follow the recommendation of the psychological evaluation. He will remain under court control to assure the requirements are met.

Source: Middletown Journal - Jan 9, 2007
Update posted on Jan 9, 2007 - 11:36AM

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A 13-year-old boy charged with animal cruelty after he was accused of setting fire to a cat he said was rooting through trash in his yard was arraigned Tuesday in Butler County Juvenile Court.

When the boy and his family left the justice center, they passed a handful of animal activists calling for a vigorous prosecution. Last month, Middletown police called to the 700 block of 18th Avenue said they found a small black cat, wrapped in what appeared to be a paper towel, barely alive.

The boy said he struck the cat with a piece of wood, poured rubbing alcohol on a tissue, wrapped it around the cat, and ignited both with a lighter, police said.

After the hearing, the boy's aunt and grandfather said he is "a good kid" who made a mistake. "When he realized what he had done, he grabbed the water hose and put it out," the grandfather said.

A few days before the burning, the boy heard an adult talk about setting cats on fire when they were children, the grandfather said.

The aunt said the protesters were holding signs calling him a "kitten killer."

"That's harsh," she said. "He made a mistake, but he doesn't need that."

Source: Dayton Daily News - Sept 7, 2006
Update posted on Nov 10, 2006 - 1:17PM

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A 13-year-old boy facing charges for killing a cat is now accused in another animal cruelty case.

The boy hit the cat, doused it in alcohol, and then set it on fire two months ago, Middletown police said.

Now the Middletown Journal reports police were called to the same home because the boy and his father were shooting squirrels.

The boy is on house arrest.

Source: WCPO - Oct 19, 2006
Update posted on Oct 20, 2006 - 11:46PM

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whiotv.com - August 17, 2006

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Cat beaten, set on fireMiddletown, OH (US)

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Cat beaten, set on fire
Middletown, OH (US)