Rock Hill man charged after police find kitten with half its ears cut off
A Rock Hill man has been charged with ill treatment of animals after police found him with a kitten that had half its ears cut off, officials said.
Calvin Aljernard Nabritt, 35, was served an arrest warrant on the misdemeanor charge after the incident late Monday at apartments off Celanese Road near Interstate 77, said Rock Hill Police Department Lt. Michael Chavis.
Police were called to the apartments after water was draining downstairs from an apartment that was vacant, Rock Hill Police said in a news release. Officers saw Nabritt leaving the vacant apartment holding the kitten and scissors, police said.
“Officers observed fresh wounds on the kitten where half of the ears had been cut off,” the statement said.
Nabritt told officers he heard the kitten inside the vacant apartment crying out, then gave the kitten a bath, according to the statement.
Nabritt struggled with officers and ran before he was taken into custody, the statement said. He was also issued a citation for resisting police, officials said.
A neighbor took the kitten in and told officers the kitten would be taken for treatment Tuesday, Chavis said.
The ill treatment of animals charge is defined under South Carolina law as when, “A person who knowingly or intentionally overloads, overdrives, overworks, or ill-treats an animal, deprives an animal of necessary sustenance or shelter, inflicts unnecessary pain or suffering upon an animal, or by omission or commission knowingly or intentionally causes these acts to be done.”
The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum penalty for a conviction of up to 90 days in jail, and a fine of $100 to $1,000, state law shows.
This story was originally published July 19, 2022 at 12:49 PM.
