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*REWARD INCREASED*
 in Case of June 2011 Cat Torture.

Reward Being Offered in Case of June 2011 Cat Torture

The Humane Society Animal League for Life and supporters are posting a $700 Cash REWARD to anyone who comes forth with information that leads to an arrest and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for killing and torturing three kittens in Richmond, KY as reported in The Richmond Register. See the full article below.  Please contact the Richmond Police Department with any information: 859-623-8911.

The Richmond Register

Three animal cruelty cases are reported

By Bill Robinson
Senior News Writer

RICHMOND — The children of a Richmond family discovered two mutilated kittens, one completely skinned and another partially skinned and its tail cut off while visiting a relative in the neighborhood along E. Irvine Street between Hallie Irvine and E streets.

Frank Moore, the children’s uncle, said a kitten belonging to his sister died after someone poured a toxic chemical on it.

She took the kitten to Advanced Animal Care, an emergency veterinary clinic in Richmond, where she was told the pet could not be saved. Rather than have it put down as the clinic recommended, his sister took the animal home “so it could die in her arms,” Moore said.

The incidents took place during a three-week period in June, Moore said, and he buried the affected animals.

When he called the Richmond Police Department to ask for an investigation, Moore said he was told to call the Madison County Animal Shelter but did not call that agency.

With no poisoned or mutilated carcasses as evidence, investigators would have less to work with, according to local enforcement officials.

If the incidents are publicized in the newspaper, however, Moore said he hopes people with knowledge about who is responsible for the crimes will contact law enforcement.

RPD Chief Larry Brock said the county animal shelter could be considered the lead agency for investigating animal cruelty, but animal cruelty is a crime and his department can and will investigate reports.

Torture of a dog or cat, first offense, is a Class A misdemeanor under Kentucky Revised Statutes, punishable by up to a year in jail. Subsequent offenses are a Class D felony that can be punished by one to five years in prison.

Keith Crawford, retired animal shelter director who is working on an interim basis while a new director is being sought, said county animal control officers investigate reports of cruelty.

However, he had no knowledge of the incidents Moore reported to the newspaper.

The animal shelter’s phone number is 986-9625.

While county animal control officers may pick up stray dogs, state law does not empower counties to pick up stray cats, Crawford said.

The shelter, on US 25 north of Berea, will accept unwanted cats, but only by appointment, he said.

Eve Secrist, of the Madison County Humane Society/Animal League for Life, said her organization has no enforcement power, but offers advice on reporting animal cruelty cases to the appropriate authority.

The society also offers emotional support to families, such as Moore’s nieces, whose pet may have been tortured or killed.

And, it also works to place unwanted pets with families or individuals who will care for them.

On Friday the Humane Society/ALL celebrated the opening of its new office in the Wallingford Broadcasting Building, 128-C Big Hill Ave., Richmond.

While the office is not always staffed, its voicemail is checked daily, Secrist said. The telephone number is 626-5600.

While cruelty to animals is itself terrible, serial killers and mass murderers often have a history of torturing and killing animals, said Dinah Martin, who is associated with Advanced Animal Care and the Waco Animal Hospital.

Brock and Secrist agreed with Martin. Anyone who torture animals need to be found and stopped before they move on to even more heinous crimes, they said.

Moore said he also is concerned about who had tortured the animals and what other crimes they could be capable of committing. He asked that anyone with knowledge about the cases contact either the animal shelter or police.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.