A Centralia man has been charged with first-degree animal cruelty for allegedly killing a cat in the 1700 block of North Pearl Street on Sunday.
Aaron D. Drop, 49, has been accused of intentionally killing a kitten “because it poops in his garden,” according to court documents.
The Centralia Police Department responded around 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 22 after Drop’s neighbor called to report that Drop had killed his cat.
Surveillance footage obtained by the Centralia Police Department reportedly showed Drop walking into the neighbor’s yard, picking up the cat and carrying it back to his property out of the camera’s view. In a written statement, the neighbor reported he observed Drop attack the cat and place it still-alive in the garbage can.
The cat was deceased upon police arrival.
When questioned by police, Drop allegedly admitted to killing the cat and reportedly said “he was tired of cats coming into his yard and getting under his house, and that this would send a message to all the other cats,” according to court documents.
Drop was booked into the Lewis County Jail just after 2:20 p.m. on Aug. 22 and has been charged with one count of first-degree animal cruelty, a class c felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.
His next court appearance is an arraignment hearing scheduled for Aug. 26.
