Florida: Miami Beach PD gets help from US Secret Service in tracking down animal killer Georgios Lollias

FLORIDA -- The death of Strushie the cat — shot in the head with an arrow behind a South Beach hotel — horrified pet lovers and animal activists.

But when Miami Beach detectives reviewed the Franklin Hotel’s surveillance system looking for clues, they found that footage from that day had suspiciously been erased.

 

The department turned to the U.S. Secret Service’s Electronic Crimes Task Force, which specializes in recovering erased data from computers, phones and other devices.

What they turned up led to the arrest early Wednesday of hotel clerk Georgios Lollias, 36, who admitted he shot the beloved stray cat using a crossbow in April, according to an arrest report.

The deleted footage showed Lollias hunting for Strushie while attempting to “conceal the crossbow from anyone that may be in the area,” the report said.

Then, Lollias shot into the bushes where the cat was hiding, puncturing Strushie’s skull and brain, police said.

A woman who feeds Strushie regularly later found the bleeding cat, but it could not be saved and had to be euthanized.

Rachel Johnson, a veterinarian who treated Strushie, told WPLG-TV the cat was brought to Alton Road Animal Hospital with severe injuries. Gruesome X-rays showed how the arrow penetrated through the cat’s skull and mouth.

Lollias lied and initially claimed to have found the cat, and even spoke to a local news station about the case back in April.

“I hear ‘meow, meow’ over here, right here, and that’s what happened,” Lollias told WSVN-TV, pointing to an area near a dumpster where he claimed to have found the cat.

Lollias was charged with animal cruelty and tampering with evidence. He remained in jail Wednesday afternoon. It was unknown whether he had a lawyer.

 

 

The death of the popular feline at the hotel has become a rallying point for animal activists, who even started a “Justice for Strushie” page on Facebook.

“It is a great relief that we have found some level of justice for Strushie,” said Police Chief Daniel Oates in a statement. “This was a horrific act of animal cruelty. I congratulate our detectives on this arrest and the U.S. Secret Service for the critical assistance they provided to us.”

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LOLLIAS MAY END UP BEING DEPORTED 

Georgios Lollias, a Greek citizen, remains at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on an immigration hold, according to online records. Lollias is not an American citizen.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer ordered him held on $30,000 bail in addition to the immigration hold, according to the news station. He would also not be allowed to be around any domestic animals and was required to surrender his passport, the judge ordered.

 

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(Miami Herald - July 5, 2017)

Earlier:

• Florida: Police searching for the person who purposely shot a cat in the head with darts causing its death

Greece: Owner of Rottweiler that killed boy to have assets seized

GREECE -- A court in Kozani, northern Greece, on Friday ordered the seizure of all assets with a total value of 150,000 euros belonging to the owner of a dog that killed a 5-year-old boy last spring.

The mother of the boy, who was mauled by the Rottweiler during a family Easter outing, is seeking damages of 140,000 euros (almost $150,000 US dollars).

The host of the Easter lunch and owner of the dog has been charged with manslaughter and the Kozani court on Friday ruled that he had failed to properly train and restrain his pet.

(Kathimerini - ‎Dec 9, 2016)

Greece: Abandoned dog rescued after fur became so matted it started to turn to STONE… but now she needs a new home

GREECE -- After being abandoned by its heartless owner, the mangy mutt was rescued and nursed by to health by non-profit animal welfare organisation Save a Greek Stray.

The five-year-old mixed breed dog, who was left to die on the streets of Oropus, in East Attica, Greece, is now looking for a loving home.

Staff at the shelter nursed the adorable animal, who had numerous health problems, back to health over a period of four months.

The caring team nicknamed the hound Petra, which is Greek for stone.

Shelter manager Irinia Psarrou, 37, said: “We were informed of a dog in a bad state near the shelter. After looking for three days, we finally saw her walking by the side of the street.

 

“She was very scared of people, and we had to sedate her in order to catch her. She tested positive for mange and other Mediterranean diseases.

“It took a lot of special medication, medical baths, special spot-ons to improve her skin condition and very good quality food.

“It took four months for Petra to completely recover – but she is still very scared and shy. Our volunteer Valia visits the shelter once a week to see Petra, trying to rehabilitate her.

“It took Valia less than two months to bring Petra around to become a happy dog, who enjoys human contact and loves going out for walks. Sadly, she is still at the shelter waiting for her forever home.

“Unfortunately, Petra is not the only dog found in such a condition – in Greece we are very used to seeing dogs in a similar condition, and we deal with them on a daily basis.”

Save a Greek Stray relies on donations to helps save poorly pooches – it costs around 1,200 euro to rescue and care for one abandoned pup.

(Sun UK - July 14, 2016)