Crime Time

Woman dumps boyfriend; he kills her cat, police say

A small black kitten felt the wrath of a Muncie, Ind., man who killed the cat in a rage after being told by his girlfriend that she was leaving him, the Muncie Star Press reported.

Police arrested Zachariah White, 21. Police said he was drunk when he punted his girlfriend's cat into a ceiling fan after she broke the news to him. She told police he had been punching walls and the refrigerator, too.

The cat had a broken back and had to be euthanized after the incident, police said.

-- Lance Murray

Feds: Heat stroke killed 6 sea lions, not gunshots

You may recall the case of the dead sea lions that Crime Time told you about recently.

At first, officials thought the six sea lions had been shot in traps intended by federal officials to protect spawning salmon from the sea lions near the Bonneville Dam in Oregon. Later, officials said the animals weren't shot to death.

Now, they say the deaths likely were caused by heat stroke. But the Humane Society of America says the 60-degree temperatures likely weren't high enough to have killed the creatures.

-- Lance Murray

Sea lions weren't shot to death, feds say

Earlier this week Crime Time reported on the deaths of six sea lions near Bonneville Dam in Oregon.

The carcasses were found in traps put there to protect salmon swimming upstream to spawn. Authorities believed the animals had been shot to death.

Now federal officials say the sea lions were not shot to death and more tests will be needed to determine what killed the animals.

-- Lance Murray

Sea lion killings baffle federal wildlife authorities

Authorities in Oregon are trying to figure who shot six trapped sea lions to death in a restricted area at the base of the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River.

The sea lions had been trapped as part of an effort to reduce their impact on the spring run of endangered chinook salmon trying to get upstream so that they can spawn. The sea lions' bodies were discovered in floating cages on Sunday.

Investigators believe whoever shot the animals was familiar with the area, because the waters near the cages are tricky to navigate.

California and Steller sea lions were killed in the cage and both are protected by a federal law that safeguards marine mammals. Salmon, on the other hand, are protected by the Endangered Species Act.

-- Lance Murray

Agencies investigate killing of 32 bison in Colorado

An extensive investigation is under way by three agencies into the killing of 32 bison on a private ranch in Colorado, the Denver Post is reporting.

The animals were shot by a group of 10 hunters who have been interviewed by law enforcement officials. The hunters said they had permission to kill the bison.

Shooting privately owned bison is legal on private land and requires no permit, the paper reported. But, the paper reported, it is not clear who owned the bison. They were killed near, but not on, land owned by a man who advertised guided bison hunts.

Still, it was was a remarkable scene said Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener.

"There are just hundreds of acres with carcasses laying out there," Wegener said. "There are carcasses and hides."

-- Lance Murray

Pro golfer charged with killing hawk with golf ball

As an avid bird photographer, this one is upsetting.

A PGA Tour golfer has been charged with cruelty to animals and killing a migratory bird for intentionally hitting a red-shouldered hawk with a golf ball, killing it at a golf course in Orlando, Fla., according to court documents.

Tripp Isenhour, whose full name is John Henry Isenhour III, could face a maximum of 14 months in jail and $1,500 in fines if convicted.

According to court documents, Isenhour was with a film crew for the TV show "Shoot Like a Pro," when he got upset at the bird for making noise as he taped the show.

After trying numerous times to hit the bird, according to court documents, a ball hit by Isenhour struck the raptor in the head, killing it.

If you've never seen a red-shouldered hawk, here's one I photographed in Tarrant County.

You can read more here.

-- Lance Murray

Pair accused of stealing, cooking, eating pet dog

OK, I have to admit as a dog lover that this one is kind of awful.

Two former maintenance workers at a Hawaiian golf course have been charged with theft and cruelty to animals in connection with the death of a pet dog that its owners contend was cooked and eaten.

Indicted are Saturnino Palting, 58, and Nelson Domingo, 43, both of Kalihi. The golf club fired them before they were indicted. Both charges are felonies. They are accused of killing and eating "Caddy," an 8-month-old German shepherd-Labrador mix that was tied up outside the golf course's maintenance shed while one of its owners played a round of golf.

Witnesses told police they saw the men take the dog and drive away with it.

Should you want to read more, go here.

-- Lance Murray

Cat-loving bridge worker faces court for feeding felines

You may recall the case we wrote about recently in Galveston in which a noted bird authority in that area was charged and tried for fatally shooting one of the feral cats that he thought was menacing endangered bird species near a bridge. The case resulted in a mistrial and the case was dropped.

Well, now the bridge worker who was feeding the cats (one of which was the slain critter) has been cited for keeping too many animals. Seems he's been feeding feral cats under the bridge for years and officials have charged him with a misdemeanor, accusing him of keeping too many animals.

He's scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

Read the Galveston County Daily News report here.

-- Lance Murray

Deer beat to death at West Texas ball field

Four high school students in the West Texas town of Iraan (pronounced Ira-ann) are accused in the beating deaths of two deer trapped at a baseball field on campus.

According to a report by The Associated Press, the students, ages 15 to 17, were each cited last week on suspicion of hunting deer with illegal means and hunting deer in closed season.

Capt. Scott Davis of Texas Parks and Wildlife told the San Angelo Standard-Times that closed-season hunting is alleged because the incident appears to have happened at night, when hunting is not allowed.

An investigation into the deaths began after the deer (like those pictured here in a Star-Telegram archive photo) were found dead at Iraan High School on Dec. 7.

We're reminded that there is an opposite extreme to allegations described in this story, but it isn't new.

The Boone and Crockett Club was founded in 1887 by President Theodore Roosevelt and other conservationists to help address alarming losses of game species from the lack of bag limits, diseases and market hunting.

The club started promoting "Fair Chase" ethics to reverse the trend. According to the organization's Website, "Hunting in today's world involves the regulated harvest of individual animals in a manner that conserves, protects, and perpetuates the hunted population."

Click here to learn more about Fair Chase.

-- Bill Miller   

Bird watcher says someone took shot at him

A Galveston bird watcher who was put on trial for killing a cat that he thought was feral and menacing endangered bird species in the area says he has left the state because someone took a shot at him.

A mistrial was declared in Jim Stevenson's case and charges were subsequently dropped. He says he received death threats after the trial and that someone took a shot at his head.

Galveston police say that Stevenson wouldn't cooperate with their investigation. Read more here.

-- Lance Murray