CONTACT: SGT. GREG SOWELL
POLICE PIO- 936.559.2618
ANIMAL CRUELTY CASE DETERMINED TO BE AN ACT OF CRIMINAL MISCHIEF
An investigation by the Nacogdoches Police Department into a report of a case of animal cruelty and a possible hate crime has been determined to be actually a case of criminal mischief.
A Nacogdoches man reported earlier this month that a mutilated dead cat had been left on the porch rail of his apartment. The rail is located immediately under where the man hangs an Israeli flag each day, raising the possibility of the act being a hate crime.
During the investigation, four individuals who have been determined to be friends of the man, came forward and admitted to placing the cat on the porch rail of the apartment, in what they termed a “practical joke”.
The investigation has determined that the cat was found dead on a roadway, apparently having been run over by a vehicle. The condition of the cat’s body was consistent with having been run over.
The only charge that applies to this case is criminal mischief, a misdemeanor, which must be filed by the complainant/occupant of the apartment. He has declined to pursue criminal charges against the four.
