Mo. Man Charged With Burning Kitten

Drudge | July 16 | AP

[SLB]

LIBERTY, Mo.- A man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly burning a kitten on a barbecue grill as several other people stood around and watched in amusement.

A witness pulled the scorched, 7-week-old tabby from the hot coals, but it was severely injured and had to be put to death, police said.

"They kept saying, `Meow, meow,' and they were poking at it with a stick," said Sherry Scott, who burned her hand grabbing the kitten.

Charles C. Benoit, 24, was charged with animal abuse, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. He was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Jim Roberts, spokesman for the Clay County prosecutor's office, said he does not expect anyone else to be charged, because no witnesses could identify the others.

Scott said that on Friday night, she saw 10 or 12 people at the barbecue grill in the courtyard of the apartment complex where she lives. Scott said she asked what they were cooking, and they said it was a cat. She said the group taunted her, daring her to rescue the cat.

She said the group scattered when she threatened to call police. She said she pulled the kitten from where it had been shoved into the coals at the back of the grill. Its tail, whiskers, fur, eyes and throat were scorched.

"I called him Lucky because I thought I got him out of there just in time," she said.

Scott said she and other residents stayed up Friday night trying to nurse the kitten with an eye dropper of milk. But animal control officers decided that because of its respiratory injuries and inability to swallow food, it had to be destroyed.

"If you would have seen him, you would have cried," said Sheri Simpson, one of the residents who helped care for the kitten.

[Sungirl]

Yes..unfortunately..there are so many people who think nothing of this. THat's why they need to bring awareness to these horror stories to everyone and severely punish people (felonies...{I personally prefer much suffering then death}) so that others will think twice. I already know there's no hope for compassion (less and less everyday)....so lets go for making them at least think about consequences.

[Sungirl]

My heart bleeds for tortured animals...and the more that you tell me what my priorities should be....the more determined I am to help ANIMALS. SO C'mon....make me even madder at people like you and more determined to help the animals.

[neutrino]

I, for one FReeper, do not EVER WISH to be associated with such savages--even that they are also, genetically, "Human Beings;" they do NOT belong to ANY SPECIES I would care to represent!

I couldn't agree more.

[neutrino]

Here is the sociopath.

No doubt he'll be popular in jail...

Late reports say that the girl who turned them in has been recieving phone calls stating "Change your story or you're dead" and having things tossed at her doors and windows.

It would be nice if the girl had caller ID, or if some mechanism existed to track the vermin down. Threatening a witness is, as I recall, a felony....

[smoking camels]

As a certified cat hater I can say you are right. What a POS this creep is!

[smoking camels]

You are right. As hard as it is sometimes killing an animal is best for them. I despise cats. But never kill them unless there is a justifiable reason to do so. This one would have been hard for me. I really don't like to kill anything. I grew up "close to the land" and have a very realistic view of tings like this as well as a huge respect for life. I am also an avid hunter.

[smoking camels]

Except for the fact that SunGirl doesn't really love animals as much as she claims she does. Her belief system was founded by a man who also believes in killing human animals (AFTER BIRTH!). He believes as do many of these animal rights extremists that there is no conflict in these beliefs... rather that they compliment each other. I agree.

Sorry to bring this issue up in this thread. But when I saw SunGirl mentioned here I just had to point out that she and her cronies are fraudulant phonies.

You cannot divorce the animal rights extremist groups from Peter Singer. He is considered by most to be the "father" of the movement. SunGirl supports and promotes one of his biggest fan organizations which BTW, also promotes and FINANCIALLY SUPPORTS terrorism against our own people.

[smoking camels]

Here is a link to a story on the type of people SunGirl is intimately associated with and SUPPORTS with her money and by being a fan.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/717278/posts?page=21

[Rifleman]

Nope. Just shoot him behind the ear, like you would put down any other dangerous animal. This mob was lucky that my wife was not there. I have watched her ring a 7" gong every time from 40 yards with a .22 Buckmark. She would have wanted to pop every one of these cretins in the ten ring, then kick the 'nads of any survivors. I would have just held them for the cops.

[Terriergal]

I can understand the sentiment but we do have due process here.

[lelio]

I called their office and then sent off email to Don Norris don_norris@claycopa.com voicing my support for prosecuting these punks.

[Aria]

Thank You! I'm going to do the same. Can't let these henious crimes go without protest.