CONNECTICUT -- City police are determining whether they can file a criminal charge against Norman Fortier Jr., who resigned as deputy animal control officer last week after he was seen drowning a badly injured cat last month.
Detectives will give a prosecutor their evidence to find out whether Fortier can be charged with cruelty to an animal, Chief John DiVenere said Wednesday.
``[Det. Lt.] Tom Killiany is working on a warrant application right now. I think it will go to the prosecutor next week,'' DiVenere said.
Earlier Wednesday, Mayor William Stortz issued a public apology for Fortier's actions.
``We don't condone this, and we've taken virtually the strongest actions possible up to now,'' Stortz said. ``I'll apologize for his behavior. This individual's chosen profession was to work with animals and to do right by animals.''
Repeated efforts to contact Fortier on Wednesday were unsuccessful. Peter Kot, president of the city's police union, which represented Fortier before his resignation, would not discuss the case, calling it a personnel matter.
Police said they began an internal affairs investigation after a Plymouth animal control officer reported watching Fortier deliberately drown a badly hurt cat at the city's animal pound on March 31. DiVenere said Fortier's explanation was that the cat was not likely to survive long enough to take to a veterinarian.
It's unclear when Fortier first brought the cat to the pound on Vincent P. Kelly Road. The Plymouth animal control officer, who uses space at the Bristol facility, found the bleeding animal there at midday on March 31 and notified police. Fortier arrived soon afterward, according to police. The Plymouth officer reported that Fortier then drowned the cat in a container of water.
``That's completely contrary to our values and our normal procedures. It's incredibly unfortunate,'' Lt. Thomas Grimaldi said. Injured animals are taken to veterinarians, who decide whether they can be treated or must be euthanized, Grimaldi said.
Grimaldi said Fortier was put on administrative leave immediately after police commanders learned of what happened.
``He was forthright with investigators, but didn't give much of an explanation except that he didn't think the cat could have been saved. Our position is that it wasn't his decision to make,'' Grimaldi said.
Fortier submitted a resignation letter Friday, shortly before he was to face a disciplinary hearing, according to Grimaldi and DiVenere.
Fortier, 54, was hired as deputy animal control officer in 2000. He was paid about $38,000 a year for the full-time job under the latest police contract.
(Hartford Courant - April 26, 2007)
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