SPRINGDALE : Society putting up reward in case of 11 dead kittens
Posted on Saturday, September 13, 2008
SPRINGDALE — The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $ 2, 500 reward for information in connection with the break-in at Springdale Animal Services that left 11 kittens dead and 10 more missing.
Someone entered through an unlocked window overnight Wednesday at 321 Randall Wobbe Road, opened all the cat cages and killed four kittens by throwing them against the ground, shelter officials said.
Seven kittens wearing shelter collars were found dead Thursday morning in The Home Depot parking lot at 675 E. Joyce Blvd. in Fayetteville.
Police on Friday said they had no evidence or suspects but will check surveillance video from The Home Deport for leads.
“The lack of evidence is exactly why we offer a reward,” said Dale Bartlett, spokesman for the national humane society in Washington, D. C. “People who are capable of this kind of violence are dangerous, and often witnesses are reluctant to come forward. By putting $ 2, 500 in the mix, we hope to combat that reluctance.”
Five of the dead kittens were only 4 weeks old and were taken from their nursing mother, officials said.
Some cats and kittens removed from their cages were placed in cages with dogs, but none of those animals were harmed.
Springdale Police Capt. Laney Morriss, commander of the detective division, said the crime scene was checked for fingerprints, but found none. They have no obvious motive, she said.
“We wish we could investigate more, but we don’t have anything to go on at this point,” Morriss said.
Operators at other animal shelters in Northwest Arkansas said they’ve had break-ins, but none where animals were killed.
“Someone came in a few years ago and released all our animals, but that seemed to be more activist-motivated,” said Clay Morgan, director of the Rogers Humane Society. “This sounds more like someone who either has a beef with the Springdale animal shelter, or is just plain deranged.”
State Sen. Sue Madison, who is working on a proposal to make animal cruelty a felony crime, said police need to work hard to catch the kitten killers.
“Someone who would bash the skulls of an animal has a very sick mind,” Madison, DFayetteville, said. “Part of what we’re proposing would require prosecutors to see that people convicted of these crimes get psychiatric help.”
Madison’s 2007 bill cleared the Senate but died in a House committee. It dealt with cruelty by torture, killing an animal in an especially depraved manner or failing to provide care for the animal that resulted in its prolonged suffering or death, she said.
Madison said she hopes to submit another proposal in the 2009 legislative session.
Cruelty to animals in Arkansas is considered a Class A misdemeanor and is punishable by up to a year in jail and a maximum fine of $ 1, 000. Over the years, legislative attempts to make the crime a felony have failed.
The $ 2, 500 reward being offered in the Springdale case is sponsored in part by the Humane Society of the Ozarks.
Anyone with information may call the Springdale Police Department anonymous tip line at (479 ) 750-4484.
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