Schomaker, who recently turned 21, also pleaded guilty to charges of marijuana possession and being in possession of alcohol while he was still a minor, the Lincoln Journal Star reported.
Schomaker originally pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty charges in April and has said his intention was not to harm the cat, a six-month-old female named Shadow, but [supposedly] to calm her.
Shadow, he said, had behavioral problems that included biting and scratching people. After hearing stories of animals being calmed when humans blew marijuana smoke in their faces, he decided to do them one better and stuffed her inside the smoking device.
Authorities came to Schomaker’s residence after responding to a domestic disturbance call (none of the stories detail who made the call or why). However, when sheriff’s deputies arrived, they caught Schomaker smoking weed from the “boxlike contraption that had the cat stuffed inside its 12-inch by 6-inch base" (about the size of a shoebox).
Schomaker was ticketed on suspicion of misdemeanor animal cruelty, and his girlfriend, Marissa Vieux, 23, was also ticketed for animal cruelty because she didn’t try to stop Schomaker.
Schomaker was so pleased with himself he told police he had done this THREE TIMES already to the poor kitten.
One of the sheriff's deputies involved in the case said Shadow was shaking when she was removed from the device and that part of her body appeared to be covered in urine and feces.
"This cat was just dazed," Sgt. Andy Stebbing said. "She was on the front seat of the cop car, wrapped in a blanket, and never moved all the way to the humane society."
The cat was taken to a Lincoln, Neb., animal shelter, where she was reportedly in good condition after the effects of the marijuana wore off.
Schomaker will return to court Sept. 18 for sentencing; he could face up to a year in jail, according to the Journal Star.
(LA Times blog - July 28, 2009)
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