SCOTT CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — The man accused of shooting his neighbor's cat in Scott County appeared in front of a judge for an arraignment on Thursday morning.
Christopher Jones has been charged with animal torture after shooting his neighbor's cat, which is now a felony under Kentucky law. Jones entered a not-guilty plea.
The judge ordered him not to have any contact with the cat's owner and no access to firearms.
Jeff Callaway was in the courtroom during Jones' arraignment. He is the owner of Ethan, the namesake of Ethan's Law, which allows law enforcement to charge people in Kentucky who torture dogs and cats with a class D felony.
"I tell people all the time, you know Ethan's name because he lived," explains Callaway. "There are a lot of animals out there that don't make it and they suffer. We need to make sure those names are heard and their stories are heard."
Callaway says he's hopeful with the case moving forward.
"In our opinion, he is being charged properly. The next appearance is Dec. 17. We look forward to all the facts in the case coming out," says Callaway.
Body camera footage released by the sheriff's office shows Jones admitting to shooting the cat with a rifle.
"Cat was on my property," Jones explains in the video. "It was being a menace, so I took care of it. I have that right out here in the country."
In the video, you hear the sheriff's deputy ask, "What did you shoot it with? A BB gun or pistol? Rifle?" Jones answers back with, "Rifle."
The deputy then asks, "Can you tell me what the problem was with the cat? I'm just curious what happened."
Jones responds, "I have expensive motorcycles and expensive automobiles. I don't want cats on them."
Jones goes on to tell the deputy he had the same issue with another neighbor who had five dogs.
"At the time, my kids were younger and the neighbors kids were younger and they would come up as a pack and menace the kids," explains Jones. He goes on to say, "I flat out told her, I said, if you don't, I am going to take care of it."
The deputy asks, "Did she end up getting them put up?" Jones answers, "No." The deputy then asks, "Did you shoot them?" Jones responds with, "One."
Jones also tells the deputy he believed the shooting was lawful. The cat had to be euthanized due to his injuries.
Jones will be back in court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 17.
