Junkyard security guard arrested for shooting cat
GENESEE COUNTY, MI Oct 4 2017– A male suspect has been charged with animal torture after a cat lost its leg after being shot by a security guard at a Genesee County salvage yard.
Genesee County Sheriff Robert Pickell states in a Tuesday, Oct. 3, Facebook post that his office received a report of potential animal abuse involving a kitten named Ratchet.
“Our subsequent investigation revealed an incredibly disturbing and heartbreaking situation,” said Pickell.
Information provided by Genesee County Animal Control and a local veterinary office treating Ratchet revealed the cat “had sustained a gunshot wound to one of its front legs, as well as a broken humerus caused by damage from the bullet.”
The leg had to be amputated in order to save Ratchet’s life, Pickell said.
An investigation revealed the person alleged to have fired the shot is a security guard that wanted to use a scrap vehicle to drive around the yard and spotted the cat in the front seat of a car at the salvage yard.
“After failing to get Ratchet to move by throwing a bottle at the kitten, our investigation revealed the guard fired two rounds from his 9mm Glock at the animal,” said Pickell. “We further learned the guard was very familiar with that gun, and we believe it was his intent to shoot Ratchet in the leg. After shooting the cat, the guard continued his rounds, and made no effort to render aid.”
The suspect who was not named by Pickell has been charged with one felony count of animal killing/torturing an animal, punishable by up to four years in prison. The suspect has been released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond.
“The kitten, in this case, was not only defenseless but had been abandoned as well,” Pickell said. “While it makes the situation even more senseless, no animal should have to endure the pain this kitten went through.”
Pickell once again called more stringent animal abuse laws in Michigan, a message he’s previously uttered on social media and at press conferences while publicizing cruelty cases in Genesee County.
“We must fundamentally change the way we view these cases in Michigan, and our entire country,” he said. “It is time to treat animal abuse cases with the seriousness response they demand!”
MLive
