Teen Boys Face Felony Charges For Drowning Newborn Kittens

Two newborn kittens lived in this world for only 48 hours, but their
presence is making history in Nevada. The siblings were stolen from
their mother by two 16-year-old boys who cruelly drowned them in a cup
of water. In the first case of its kind, the teens were charged with felony animal cruelty and will be tried under a new stricter law enacted in 2011.

The sad crime would have gone unnoticed if Christine Ohm hadn’t heard
animals crying and boys laughing in her neighbor’s yard, while she was
cleaning her pool. She ran and got a ladder and looked over the fence.

“I saw they had drowned one kitten in a cup of water,” said Ohm.
“The other was in the water and dead, but the boys were still holding
it down.” The teens used a barbecue utensil to keep the kittens
underwater.

Horrified at what she saw, Ohm took pictures of the scene with her
phone and called Las Vegas police for help. The boys were charged with
felony cruelty and are being held in custody.

The teens, whose names are being withheld because they are juveniles,
are the first people in the state to face felony animal cruelty charges
for a first offense since a stricter law was enacted in 2011. Cooney’s
Law was passed to protect animals after a beagle was brutally mutilated
by its owner. Prior to the law, a person had to commit three acts of
animal abuse before being charged with a felony crime.

Thomas Ericsson, one of the teenager’s lawyers argued
in court, “As I’m sure you’re aware, Las Vegas euthanizes thousands and
thousands and thousands of feral and pet cats because people aren’t
spaying and neutering them. I’m not justifying the conduct, but this
wasn’t violence against other people; it was inappropriate conduct
involving the animals.”

The judge didn’t buy the argument, calling it “outright cruelty.”
The charges send a strong message that times have changed in Nevada and
animal abuse will not be tolerated.