Ohio: Kevin Sullivan is accused of setting a cat on fire with lighter fluid; the cat suffered and burned until an officer shot it

OHIO -- Bond has been set at $50,000 for a Middletown man accused of setting a cat on fire.

Kevin Lee Sullivan, 32, was arraigned Friday in Middletown Municipal Court on a felony charge of animal cruelty for the alleged September incident on Howard Avenue.

Judge Melynda Cook Howard set the stiff bond and scheduled a preliminary hearing for Dec. 8. Standard bond for such a fifth-degree felony is $5,000.

Middletown Police and Butler County Deputy Dog Warden Jamie Hearlihy were dispatched Sept. 18 to Howard Avenue near Arlington Avenue, where the fire department had put out the cat that was on fire and being burned alive.

 

 

A police officer shot the cat to put it out of its misery and end its suffering, according to a police report.

Samples taken from the cat and the blanket used to smother the fire indicated that lighter fluid was used, according to court records.

There were no burn marks on the pads of the cat’s feet so the cat did not run through lighter fluid,” Hearlihy wrote in the complaint.

 

This woman, who tried to save the cat, said flames

were "this high" off its back as it was burning alive

Police said Sullivan initially lied to them about his involvement, but an investigation by Middletown police and the dog warden’s office led back to him as a suspect.

“This is absolutely disturbing, and this guy definitely needs to be off the streets,” Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said in October when a warrant was issued for Sullivan’s arrest. “I have a room for him here in my jail, where he needs to be. I don’t understand people who harm or torture a defenseless animal. It is a very cowardly thing to do.”

 

ARREST INFORMATION:
Full Name: Kevin Lee Sullivan
Gender: Male
Race: Black
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 205 lbs
Hair Color: BLACK
Eye Color: BROWN
Birthdate: 05/16/1985
Arrest Age: 32
Date:12/09/2017
Time: 2:15 AM
Location: Butler County, Ohio
Arrest Location: PIMA COUNTY JAIL, Butler, OH
Total Bond: $50,000
Charge:
#1 CRUELTY TO A COMPANION ANIMAL (FELONY)
BOND: $50,000
NOTES: UNSENTENCED, CASH ONLY BOND

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(Hamilton Journal News - Dec 1, 2017)

Earlier:

• Ohio: "The cat was screaming and the whole thing was on fire"
• Ohio: Court date set for Kevin Sullivan, accused of burning a cat to death

Ohio: Court date set for Kevin Sullivan, accused of burning a cat to death

OHIO -- A man facing a felony charge after allegedly setting a cat on fire was taken into custody Wednesday — more than a month after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Kevin Lee Sullivan, 32, of Middletown, is charged with animal cruelty, a fifth-degree felony, for the alleged September incident on Howard Avenue.

Police said Sullivan used lighter fluid to set the cat on fire. A Middletown police officer had to shoot the cat to put it out of its misery, according to a report.

Police said Sullivan initially lied to them about his involvement, but an investigation by Middletown police and the dog warden’s office led back to him as a suspect.

“This is absolutely disturbing, and this guy definitely needs to be off the streets,” Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said in October when a warrant was issued for Sullivan’s arrest. “I have a room for him here in my jail, where he needs to be. I don’t understand people who harm or torture a defenseless animal. It is a very cowardly thing to do.”

Sullivan was booked into the Middletown City Jail at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Middletown Municipal Court, according to court records.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(Journal News - Nov. 30, 2017)

Earlier:

• Ohio: "The cat was screaming and the whole thing was on fire"

Florida: Florida State University student Fritzner Julien accused of beating, burning and torturing his own dog

FLORIDA -- A man has been arrested, accused of mutilating his dog.

Fritzner Julien, 21, was arrested on Wednesday for animal cruelty, which is a first degree misdemeanor.

According to a probable cause document, an officer was called to 500 Chapel Drive on Oct. 8 about an animal. Notes say the caller told the officer that their neighbor had been beating a dog for about 15 minutes.

After meeting with the complainant, the officer went over to Fritzner Julien's apartment. The officer noted that immediately after opening the door, Julien asked if the officer was there about the dog.

When the officer finally saw the dog, the officer noticed that it had a fresh, half inch long cut on its shoulder. Documents say the cut was actively bleeding.

Julien told the responding officer that he was lying in bed when he woke up because his dog had defecated in the bed. He said he then shoved the dog off of him and tried to drag it to the bathroom so he could bathe it.

He claimed the dog may have been cut when he pushed it off the bed.

Next day, according to the report, another officer followed up at Julien's apartment. As Julien opened the door, however, the officer noticed an open wound on the dog's shoulder and a wound on the bridge of its nose.

When asked about the injuries, Julien told the officer that it was possible the dog fell on glass when he fell off the bed.

Documents say the officer also noticed several other wounds that appeared to be in different states of healing. When asked about how those happened, Julien replied "I don't know."

Before leaving, the officer took pictures of the dog and issued a notice to comply for Julien to get medical care for the dog within 48 hours.

Two days later, an investigator followed up with Julien. Documents say that upon opening the door, Julien told the investigator he hadn't taken the dog to the vet.

This time, documents say that there were bloody sores on the dog's ear in addition to the other injuries. When asked about the new wounds, Julien said the dog's skin just started coming off.

"When [the investigator] asked about the new and old wounds," probable cause documents say, "[Julien] stated, 'If I burned the dog you would know.'" 

The investigator noted in the report that nothing was previously said about him burning the dog. 

Documents say the investigator tried to encourage Julien to surrender the dog to Animal Control so it could receive medical treatment, but he refused. He eventually told investigators to take the dog, but refused to surrender the dog.

When the dog was examined by a veterinarian, the doctor reported that the dog had multiple lacerations and possible burn wounds that were between four and 14 days old. 

Based on the assessment, the doctor indicated that the dog had been the victim of animal cruelty/neglect.

A warrant was signed for Julien's arrest on Monday and he was arrested at his apartment on Wednesday.

ARREST INFO:
Name: Fritzner Julien Jr.
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Birthdate: 12/28/1995
Arrest age: 21
Arrest date: 10/25/2017
Arresting agency: Leon County Sheriff's Office
Charge:
CONSERVATION-ANIMALS TORMENT DEPRIVE MUTILATE KILL

(WTXL - Oct 26, 2017)

Ohio: "The cat was screaming and the whole thing was on fire"

OHIO -- Residents in one Middletown community are up in arms after they said a cat was burned alive. They believe it was intentionally done by someone in the neighborhood.

One neighbor said she heard her kids screaming and when she came outside the cat was completely engulfed in flames. She and others did what they could save the the cat, but sadly it died from its injuries.

Residents along Howard Avenue said they saw something they'll never forget come out of an alley way.

"The flames were that high coming off the cats back. That's the Gods honest truth," Angie Hall said. "It stopped right there on the side walk and I grabbed something from my porch and I hit it like 15 times to put the fire out. The cat was screaming and the whole thing was on fire."

"When she finally put the cat out it probably had about 30 percent of its hair and it was completely black. Scorched. It's mouth was open and it was gasping for air," Tanya Spicer said. 

 

Firefighters arrived and when police officers arrived, they saw the cat was in horrific pain, completely black and charred from being burnt alive and beyond saving so one of the officers shot it to end its suffering.

Neighbors said police took an accelerant from the scene and marked it as evidence.

Meg Melampy, president of Joesph's Legacy, said an adult is responsible for the injuries to the cat and she was horrified when she heard about what happened.

"It's horrible. I don't know I don't understand... it's an epidemic why? Why you know? I don't understand the mentality a cat was burned on fire," she said.

The cat had to be eunthanized because it could not survive its injuries.

People in the neighborhood want answers.

"This was a neighborhood cat. Everyone in this neighborhood. We all fed it. It was a neighborhood cat," Spicer said.

FOX19 NOW has not been able to verify with police if there was any wrongdoing or if someone will be held responsible.

Update: Kevin Lee Sullivan has been charged with Felony Animal Cruelty, accused of spraying this friendly cat with lighter fluid and then setting it on fire, watching it burn to death.

 

 

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(FOX19 - Sept 19, 2017)

North Carolina: Teen girls, ages 13 and 14, videotaped themselves setting a dog on fire and posted it online

NORTH CAROLINA -- The Guilford County Sheriff's Office has charged two teenagers with animal cruelty after they were found to have burned a dog using a lighter and an aerosol can, setting it on fire while laughing.

The dog has been placed with a rescue organization after video of the incident surfaced on social media. Animal cruelty charges have been filed with the Juvenile Justice system.

The Sheriff's Office says a 13-year-old and 14-year-old girl were involved with one of the girls shown in the video while the other was holding the camera. 

More information about the girls can't be released because of their ages.

Animal Services worked with the sheriff's office during the investigation and gave treatment to the injured animal. The dog was given to a rescue organization and isn't currently available for adoption.

 

Child Killer: Brenda Spencer is notorious for shooting 

a gun into a crowd of children. Eleven children were hit 

by her bullets with two dying. When she was a child, 

Spencer would light the tails of neighborhood cats

and dogs on fire and laugh at their agony.

(WCNC - September 1, 2017)

(July 2017) New York: Marcus Rios accused of pouring gasoline on pet rabbit charged with arson, animal cruelty

NEW YORK -- An Albany man is facing arson and animal cruelty charges after police claim he doused a pet rabbit with gasoline while setting his ex-girlfriend’s back porch on fire.

Thumper is one very lucky rabbit after police say MARCUS RIOS tried to burn down a porch with Thumper inside it.

Anthony showed the damage outside his first-floor apartment on Providence Street to NEWS10 ABC’s Anya Tucker.

“He started to put the gasoline inside here,” Anthony said. “The rabbit was right here in the cage and he came through and doused the whole back porch with gasoline and ignited it.”

Thumper was covered in gasoline

The human residents were also in jeopardy.

One flight up, Natish Bhardwaj says it was his roommate’s dog that alerted him to the growing danger downstairs.

“He was at the door just sniffling and squealing."

 

Help came in the form of heavy rain which kept the flames from spreading, even before the firefighters arrived.

“The fire department said there could have been an explosion,” Anthony said.

Thumper, who Anthony says is a rescue bunny is okay. He’s now residing on the front porch taking in plenty of fresh air.

Albany Police say the fire was the work of a scorned boyfriend that Marcus Rios, of Albany, was targeting his ex-girlfriend, one of Anthony’s roommates.

Anthony says the two have had a stormy on and off again relationship.

“He was not allowed near the house. I was at my camp in Vermont with my girlfriend. He knows he’s not welcome here,” Anthony said.

“If you’re arguing with your girlfriend it’s one thing but to take it out on people upstairs who have nothing to do with this is kind of crazy to me,” Bhardwaj said.

 

 

Rios pleaded not guilty to charges of arson, reckless endangerment and cruelty to animals.

His family bailed him out of jail, but the court says there’s an order of protection for all the victims involved.

 

(News10 - July 10, 2017)

North Carolina: Man accused of lighting house on fire with family inside; they escape but their pets are burned alive

NORTH CAROLINA -- A man wanted on charges of attempted murder, animal cruelty and arson has been arrested, according to Gaston County Police.

The suspect, James Richard Pruitt Jr., is accused of setting fire to a mobile home located in the 100 block of Brian Circle in Gastonia the morning of July 11.

The two adults and three-year-old child inside the residence were all able to escape the fire, but a dog and a rabbit died in the flames, according to police. The home was completely destroyed.

Warrants have been issued charging Pruitt with three counts of attempted murder, two counts of animal cruelty and one count of first degree arson.

The Gaston County Police and the Gaston County Fire Marshal’s Office are still investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Brienza at (704) 866-3320 or Gaston County Crimestoppers at (704) 861-8000.

(Fox46 - June 14, 2017)

North Carolina: Local family wants answers after pet dog shot with crossbow, other dog burned to death

NORTH CAROLINA -- A family is searching for answers after one of their pet dogs died and another was hurt.

Dylan Reynolds from Pleasant Garden said someone intentionally burned his dog. The animal was so severely burned that she eventually died from her injuries.

 

Scrappy, the family’s other dog, came home Friday evening with a crossbow arrow in his back.

“I don't know if people are laughing about it, if they are just doing it because they think it is fun. But I mean it’s just sick and cruel that somebody would do that to an animal,” Reynolds said.

 “Like I said, it’s a child pet. This isn't some wild animal, it isn't a deer in the wild, this is somebody’s pet, a family member.”

Reynolds has filed a complaint with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office and detectives are now looking into the incident.

VIDEO NEWS CLIP:

(FOX8 - June 2, 2017)

North Dakota: Pigs reportedly stolen from Cando farm, videotaped being tortured and abused to death by teenagers at party

NORTH DAKOTA -- Disturbing rumors flying in a small North Dakota town that high schoolers are involved in stealing and killing pigs from a swine barn.

Now authorities anticipate charges coming.

"There was party going on three miles east of the Coolin nursery and someone had got into the barn." Said J.R. Gibbens.

J.R. Gibbens and his cousin run a number of businesses in Cando, including what he says is the largest swine farm in the state; it has over 18,000 pigs.

"Poor judgement on their part." Said Gibbens.

His office also is looking into whether the stolen livestock were abused at a party the same evening, including claims some of the animals were tortured and burned.

Gibbens says posts about the party on social media lead to them calling the Towner County Sheriffs. They say last week an investigation started at a party site near the Coolin Nursery.

"We found some pigs running around outside and it looked like the lock had been jimmied open." Said Gibbens.

The pigs found outside had to be euthanized. Gibbens says police also found the carcass of another pig. 

Rumors have been swirling that pigs were tortured at the party location. Police wouldn't confirm citing an on-going investigation.

There are three swine barns at the site and each one can hold up to around 6000 pigs. The pigs are in bio-secure locations in order to help prevent the spread of disease (and never see the light of day). Which is one of the reasons it's so concerning someone broke in and stole them.

"We go through a shower-in, shower-out protocol, disinfect the barns in between lots. Just to minimize the chance of any disease outbreaks," said Gibbens.

Now blood tests are needed and 6000 pigs are at risk because someone broke in.

"We don't dare put anymore pigs in there or take anymore out until we're pretty sure they're clean. Said Gibbens.

Towner County Sheriffs say they anticipate charges will be filed in the future.

The Sheriffs say they're in the process of interviewing people that know what happened at the party and say it might take some time because not everyone is from the Cando area.

VIDEO CLIP:

(ValleyNewsLive - May 23, 2017)