Animal rights group urges prosecution of 13-year-old

A 13-year-old Augusta boy accused of stomping a kitten to death should be fully prosecuted and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment, an animal rights group told District Attorney Danny Craig on Friday.

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Daniel Paden, a cruelty caseworker with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, urged the district attorney in a letter to take a special interest in the case based on evidence linking animal cruelty to conduct disorders and future criminal behavior.

"Given the strong connection between cruelty to animals and other forms of violence, it is imperative, for everyone's sake, that this case be taken seriously," Mr. Paden said.

PETA officials are asking Mr. Craig to ensure that the teen be kept away from animals and be required to undergo further psychiatric evaluation followed by mandatory counseling. The animal rights group is also sending a new anti-violence public service announcement to Augusta TV stations.

The teen was seen squashing a kitten to death at Durand Mobile Home Park on Thanksgiving morning. Neighbors told police he was grinding the pet into the ground like he was putting out a cigarette. Neighbor Bill Plummer said he grabbed a second kitten from the teen before he could harm it.

Mr. Craig declined to discuss the teen's case Friday but said he was concerned about the teen the first time he heard about the kitten's death.

"I commented to others in the office that it is obvious that this person will commit violent crime," he said.

Mr. Craig said it was a shame we live in a society that won't act to prevent future violent behavior, "not because his past behavior isn't a reliable indicator - but only because he hasn't yet selected a specific victim."

After the kitten's death, juvenile authorities charged the teen with animal cruelty and deputies took him for a mental evaluation at Medical College of Georgia Hospital. He was eventually returned home.

The same teen was suspended at Langford Middle School for stabbing a girl in the back with a pen Oct. 16 and threatening to kill the bus driver when she intervened, a school report states. He was eventually sent to Alternative School.

Violet Sizemore, of Durand Mobile Home Park, said Friday that the teen and his family are in the process of being evicted based on the animal killing and other problems.

PETA says the teen clearly needs help. Mental health professionals and law enforcement experts consider animal abuse to be a red flag. The American Psychiatric Association relates animal cruelty to conduct disorders, and the FBI uses reports of animal abuse in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals.

Most of the pupils involved in recent school shootings have a history of killing animals, including Georgia's Thomas Solomon Jr., 15; Oregon's Kip Kinkel, 15; and Colorado's Dylan Klebold, 17, and Eric Harris, 17.

A 1999 study of suspects charged with cruelty to animals found that 78 percent had also been charged with offenses involving violence toward people, Mr. Paden said.

Reach Greg Rickabaugh at (706) 828-3851 or greg.rickabaugh@augustachronicle.com.

--From the Saturday, December 20, 2003 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle