Denton animal shelter worker accused of killing kitten on last day of work
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A former employee at the Denton animal shelter is under investigation for animal cruelty after a witness reported to police that he killed a kitten on his last day of work.
According to Denton police, someone at the Linda McNatt Animal Adoption Center on Elm Street called police on Friday, December 16th to report that an employee had injured and killed a kitten while working at the center the day before.
In a statement to FOX 4 the following Wednesday, a police spokesperson said:
“Upon arrival, the responding officer was informed the suspect had previously given a notice of resignation and he committed the act on his last day of employment there.
The officer spoke to a Center employee who witnessed the offense. The witness stated she was in the cat area with the suspect on the morning of December 15th. She stated the suspect was holding the kitten while attempting to change its collar. The kitten became irritated and bit the suspect’s hand. The suspect then raised up the hand he was holding the kitten with and threw it forcefully on the floor. The kitten died shortly after this from the injuries it sustained.”
Police said the center has a policy to report any time an employee is bitten by an animal. However, police said the accused employee did not report the bite and failed to seek medical attention for the kitten.
The employee is also accused of “logging the animal out” in the shelter system as "'sick, died in shelter.’”
The person who called police the following day did so because they realized the incident had not been properly reported under the center’s policy.
The case is currently classified as a “Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals” investigation, which is defined as an incident in which “a person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly tortures an animal or in a cruel manner kills or causes serious bodily injury to an animal.”
Denton police are not releasing the name of the accused former employee at this time, citing the pending investigation.
This investigation started as tip from the public. If you would like submit a tip or story idea, please email iteam@kdfwfox4.com.
Denton PD Cruelty to an Animal Press Release (December 21, 2016) by Vicki Chen on Scribd
Denton Police Report on Animal Cruelty Call (December 16, 2016) by Vicki Chen on Scribd