A North Stonington man deals with animal cruelty charges in the disappearance of a cat said to be a regional icon in Deep River that showed up dead in March, according to the arrest warrant affidavit in the event.
Joshua McDonough, 27, was apprehended on May 18 and charged with cruelty to animals and sixth-degree larceny.
McDonough said he “solved a very important problem in a bad way” after ending up being focused on the cat called Tiger that would frequently roam into the Deep River Walgreens and other regional businesses, the affidavit said.
The cat was discovered dead by a Connecticut Department of Transportation employee on the side of Interstate 95 in Old Saybrook on March 20 a day after the animal’s owner required to Facebook to request help discovering the missing out on 14-year-old black and white Tabby cat. The DOT employee informed a neighboring homeowner of what he had actually discovered prior to burying the animal, later on informing authorities it was “the right thing to do,” the affidavit said.
“The cat is determined to have been well known and adored by the community of Deep River. The loss of Tiger is akin to the loss of a local icon,” state authorities composed in the affidavit for McDonough’s arrest.
According to the affidavit, McDonough was training to end up being a supervisor at the Deep River Walgreens in March when the existing supervisor said he ended up being focused on Tiger who would frequently check out the store and was favored by neighborhood members. The supervisor informed McDonough to leave the animal alone after he grumbled that having the cat in the store was unhygienic, the affidavit said.
The Walgreens supervisor said another worker made her conscious that, throughout among the Facebook posts made by Tiger’s owner about the cat being missing, McDonough confessed to his participation in the animal’s disappearance, according to the affidavit. When faced by the supervisor, McDonough at first rejected any participation prior to confessing he took the cat and “drove it down the road,” the affidavit said. The supervisor informed authorities McDonough then resigned from his position.
Surveillance video footage from outside the Deep River Walgreens revealed a man chasing after a cat on March 18 in the car park prior to getting the animal and leaving the location in a black SUV, the affidavit said. About half an hour later on, the SUV is seen going back to the car park.
State authorities talked to McDonough in late March, when he rejected damaging the cat however yielded that he did “relocate” the animal.
“He regarded the presence of a cat in the store as unsanitary and it was an ongoing issue,” state authorities composed in the affidavit, including that McDonough confessed he was informed numerous times to leave the animal alone. “Joshua noticed that the problem wasn’t going to be solved unless he acted. He says the way his mind works, he gets fixated on some problems and thinks about them constantly.”
“Joshua was adamant that he did not harm the cat,” state authorities composed of McDonough’s interview with a private investigator.
McDonough informed state authorities he returned to the location where he dropped the cat off a couple of days later on and might not discover it, the affidavit said. He said he likewise called the animal’s owner and informed him where he dropped Tiger off.
When state authorities talked to the cat’s owner, he verified that he had actually received a telephone call from a man who said he had actually moved Tiger, though the owner said the caller did not recognize himself, the affidavit said. The caller informed Tiger’s owner he had actually driven about 10 miles south of the Deep River Walgreens prior to dropping the cat off, the affidavit said.
“Tiger is an outdoor cat and likes to visit local businesses throughout the day,” the owner informed state authorities, including that the animal was let exterior on March 18 and never ever returned home for supper.
The owner of Tiger was informed of the cat’s death by the Old Saybrook local who talked to the DOT employee after the man discovered the animal’s body on the side of I-95. The female had actually seen a poster for the missing out on cat prior to calling the owner. The cat was verified to be the dead animal discovered on the side of the roadway utilizing a picture the DOT employee had actually taken prior to burying Tiger.
McDonough is totally free on a $20,000 bond and is set to appear in Middletown Superior Court on Aug. 8.
