Iowa: Mason City man William Hill, 69, accused of throwing cat into river to drown

IOWA -- A Mason City man has confessed to throwing a bag containing a live cat into the Winnebago River, police say.

William Nathan Hill, 69, was charged with misdemeanor animal torture on Wednesday.

Police say Hill threw a gym bag containing his own calico cat into the river on Saturday. It was witnessed by two people, who went down to the river and found a live cat in the bag, officials say.

Hill turned himself in to police on Wednesday morning, said Mason City Police Sgt. Tiffany Creekmur.

The cat survived. It was taken by Mason City Animal Control.

Shelter staff nicknamed the cat Winnie — short for the Winnebago River — and hope to adopt it out to a good home, said Humane Society of North Iowa Executive Director Sybil Soukup.

The Mason City animal-rescue organization has heard from many angry animal lovers since news of the alleged incident broke on Tuesday.

"They want to see justice served, so this arrest will definitely give some resolution to this whole issue and hopefully we can move forward and adopt her into a forever home," Soukup said.

Hill was cited and released.

A phone number for Hill couldn't be found on Wednesday. It wasn't clear if he had retained an attorney.

(Globe Gazette - March 25, 2015)

Earlier:

• Iowa: Mason City police seek man who zipped cat inside duffel bag and then threw her into river to drown