MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A 13-year-old Florida boy was arrested this week and accused of torturing a cat.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office says the young teen severely injured and eventually killed a neighbor's cat.
After initially denying the accusations, investigators say the boy admitted to seeing the cat in the neighborhood a week earlier and bringing it home. He then put the cat in a garbage can, where he kept it trapped for days, authorities said.
Days later, deputies say the teen used a pole to hit the cat in the can, where it was still trapped. On Tuesday, investigators say he tried to stab the cat, which bit him.
That's when deputies say the boy stuffed the cat in a trash bag and began slamming the animal against the pavement. Although the cat escaped the bag, the sheriff's office says the boy caught it by the tail and slammed it onto the ground — causing blood to flow from its mouth.
Investigators say the teen threw the dead cat into a nearby yard "where he believed dogs would further mangle the body."
Law enforcement officers were dispatched around 7 p.m. Tuesday.
The teen was arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, which is a felony. He was taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice, processed and released to his parents.
The sheriff's office says he also faces an additional charge of petit theft for stealing the cat in the first place.
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