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Boy, 17, sought in cat shootings
17-year-old Spotsylvania boy accused of killing cats found at Partlow trash site
Date published: 5/2/2006
By GEORGE WHITEHURST A 17-year-old Spotsylvania boy has been charged in connection with the deaths of four cats whose bodies were found at a Partlow trash drop-off site last month. County Animal Control Director Willie Tydings said yesterday that the juvenile faces four felony charges of cruelty to animals and a pair of misdemeanor firearms counts. Authorities are withholding the suspect's name because he is a juvenile. Tydings filed the charges late Friday afternoon with Spotsylvania's Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. As of yesterday afternoon, the juvenile petitions hadn't been delivered to the Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Howard Smith said he doesn't expect his office will have to track down the defendant. "I've talked to the young man's parents, and as soon as the petitions come, they're going to bring him down here for us to serve them on him," Smith said yesterday. Tydings' office started investigating the cats' deaths April 19 when a woman found the bodies at the Cole Hill Creek trash site. The woman had been feeding stray felines that lived in the area. Necropsy results showed that the cats had been shot to death. Spotsylvania's county code makes it a felony if an animal dies due to torture, inhumane treatment or because someone "unnecessarily beats, maims, mutilates or kills any animal whether belonging to himself or another." Penalties for conviction range from up to one to five years in jail and/or fines of up to $2,500. Tydings said he hopes potential animal abusers are paying attention. "It's against the law to shoot any animal like that, and we're going to enforce it," he said. Thea Verdak, president of the Rappahannock Humane Society, praised Tydings' department for its speedy investigation and for taking the case "very seriously." She also is hoping the case will help set a tone. "If this goes to court and there's a conviction, it will set a precedent in Spotsylvania County. That, in itself, is amazing," she said. To reach GEORGE WHITEHURST:
Read more stories about Spotsylvania Date published: 5/2/2006
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