According to an arrest warrant, Christopher Noah, 21, abandoned two cats and a guinea pig in an apartment on Tiny Town Road, leaving them with no food, water or care. He is accused of causing the death of the guinea pig.
Montgomery County Animal Control Director Jeanette Farrell said her office was called by a landlord on April 30, who reported that the animals had been left behind. He told animal control officers that the people staying at the apartment had moved out several weeks earlier. The landlord put Farrell in touch with Noah's first sergeant at Fort Campbell, who told her that Noah also was wanted for being AWOL from the military.
The two cats had survived by tearing open packets of oatmeal and drinking water from the toilet, Farrell said. There was no food, or any sign that cat food had been in the house. The guinea pig was dead.
The case took another turn when officers discovered that the cats were not Noah's.
Farrell said the cats' owner had to go out of state after her mother died and asked Noah and his wife to take care of her cats. Farrell said the couple agreed and sent text messages telling her the cats were doing well, even after they had been abandoned.
The cats' owner was found because the animals were micro-chipped and she was frantic when she found out what happened, Farrell said. She could not travel back to Tennessee to claim the cats and they were adopted to a family through a Nashville cat rescue.
Farrell said that she tracked down the couple accused of abandoning the three pets by looking up the wife, Chelsea Noah, on Facebook. On that page, Farrell saw Chelsea's mother listed and reached out to her, saying the couple was facing charges and needed to get in touch with her.
That conversation led to the couple being located in Wisconsin. Farrell said she has been working closely with the military, who is investigating Christopher Noah, and the military took him into custody in Wisconsin and had him returned to Montgomery County.
His bond on the animal cruelty charge was set at $5,000 but was expected to be raised Thursday as an investigation into other crimes continues, Farrell said.
Farrell said she is preparing paperwork to have Chelsea Noah charged in connection with animal cruelty, too; but Chelsea remained in Wisconsin on Thursday.
Noah, who gave a Manitowoc, Wisconsin, address, was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on Wednesday.
Farrell said her office continues to work closely with the military and additional charges are pending.
Farrell said the couple eventually contacted the cat's owner and told her the cats had been surrendered to the shelter. That was not true, because they were seized after they were found abandoned, she said. The guinea pig belonged to the Noahs.
She said the apartment had no electricity or running water when the pets were found.
About arrests
Readers are reminded that an arrest, charge or indictment is an allegation and not a statement of guilt. Those charged are presumed not guilty until convicted by a judge or jury.
Crime Stoppers
Anyone who has information that might lead to the arrest and conviction of a suspected criminal can earn up to $1,000 by calling the Clarksville-Montgomery County Crime Stoppers tips line at 645-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous
(Clarksville Leaf Chronicle - May 21, 2015)
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