Florida man beat cat to death with bat, police say
Justin Gale (Port Orange Police Department)
PORT ORANGE, Fla. - A Florida man is facing a charge of animal cruelty after police say he beat a cat with a baseball bat, threw the animal down an embankment, and then beat it to death when the animal was crying.
Justin Gale, 28, was arrested by Port Orange officers on Tuesday.
Witnesses told police that they saw Gale and a woman standing outside a residence on Taylor Ave. Gale was seen beating a cat with an 18-inch long bat, according to a charging affidavit, and then threw the cat down an embankment of a creek while the cat was wrapped in a jacket or bag.
The cat was reportedly crying out and that's when police say the woman with Gale told him to "put the cat out of its misery." The report states that Gale walked back over to the cat and hit it three more times with the bat, then the two left on bicycles.
MORE NEWS: Deputies: Man shot, killed after altercation on I-4 in Orange County
Witnesses called police who responded to the home and said they found a bat with blood on the top and a white tank top covered in blood. Officers found the dead cat wrapped in a cheetah print jacket.
When officers made contact with Gale, he denied being in contact with the cat, the report states. A detective reportedly spoke to two people who said Gale admitted to them that he had "put a cat out of its misery." A witness also identified Gale as the person he saw beating the cat, police said.
Gale was arrested for animal cruelty and unlawful disposal of a dead domestic animal.