Virginia man, Richard Shepard, arrested after beating cat to death with baseball bat

VIRGINIA -- Police have arrested a Bristol, Va. man in connection to an animal cruelty case.

Officials said that Richard G. Shepard beat a cat with a baseball bat on Vermont Street, Thursday night.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found some white fur on the bat and the cat buried in a shallow grave.

Officer Bill Nunley said that Shepard has been charged with animal cruelty, which is considered a misdemeanor.

"It is a misdemeanor in the Commonwealth of Virginia at this time," said Nunley. "We will be taking all the facts and the totality of the circumstance to court, and see if we can do anything further."

"This extreme is very rare," said Nunley. "All of us being animal lovers, we wish that the charge was a felony instead of a misdemeanor."

Nunley said that they still need to get a petition to arrest a juvenile who is also involved in the case. They are expecting more charges to be filed once the courts are open again after the weekend.

(WCYB - July 3, 2015)