Man accused of killing pregnant cat

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) -- A Warwick man is facing serious animal abuse charges for allegedly putting a pregnant cat in a sealed box and bag and throwing her in a garbage can.

Police tell us a neighbor heard scratches near a trash can. Thinking it was a raccoon, they went to check and found a cat, who later died at Warwick Animal Hospital. The cat's owner, Timothy Campbell, is now charged with its death.

"It's just an awful act of violence," said Campbell's neighbor, who asked not to be identified.

She tells us that she saw her neighbor abusing a cat just last month.

"I saw Timothy Campbell kicking a bag and hitting it with a stick and kicking it back and forth down the street," she added.

Police say the cat was thrown away near the home of the suspect's brother on Mohawk Street in Warwick. Campbell lives around the corner on Huron Street, and now faces a felony charge of malicious killing of an animal.

"These are heinous crimes, and certainly people who own pets, including myself, take these things very serious," said Capt. Joseph Coffey of the Warwick Police Department.

Neighbors tell us that they regularly see stray cats roaming the streets, and believe that some people may be breeding them illegally.

Officers tell us this is Campbell's first animal cruelty charge. He's expected to be formally arraigned at Kent County Court on Monday.