Kittens beaten to death with broom stick
Baker, FL (US)Incident Date: Friday, Nov 14, 2008
County: Okaloosa
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: James Lee
A man was arrested on a felony charge of animal abuse after he killed two kittens by beating them with an old broom stick.
James Lee, of 2426 Johnson Road in the Escambia Farms Community, admitted to killing the two kittens and said he would kill the others as soon as they came close enough to hit with the stick, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office offense report.
When deputies arrived at the home, they found Lee's adult daughter holding the only surviving kitten. The report said Lee's daughter told deputies her father had not been aggressive toward people or animals before.
Lee approached deputies with a long wooden yellow broom handle on his shoulder and loudly asked, "Are you looking for me?" With the wooden handle still on his shoulder, he indicated he planned to kill other animals on his property.
The offense report stated Lee told deputies the wooden handle is what he uses any time something needs to be "knocked in the head."
Deputies explained to Lee that killing animals by beating them was illegal, but Lee became loud and adamant about continuing to kill the cats.
Lee said the animals had not been aggressive and he didn't call animal control to have them removed. According to the report, he was tired of the kittens trying to get inside his home.
The report said Lee's daughter told deputies he began beating the kittens after they came into the home when the back door was open.
Lee then took the deputies to a burn pile where he'd placed the bodies of the two kittens he'd killed. He pointed to their mother, a stray, and said as soon as he could get close enough to her he was going to knock her in the head, too.
Lee's daughter said the only reason the third kitten survived was because she grabbed it to protect it.
She said the mother cat showed up on the family's property about two years ago and her mother had been feeding the cat. Although the cat wasn't a proper pet, the Lee family had been responsible for the nourishment of the cat and her kittens. James Lee even fed the cat and kittens independently, his daughter said, for about two months while her mother was absent.
James Lee was arrested on Nov. 14 for causing cruel death, pain and suffering to animals. He's scheduled to appear in court Dec. 16. References« FL State Animal Cruelty Map
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