Image Credit: (Kamloops SPCA)
September 06, 2013 - 11:44 AM
KAMLOOPS - A Kamloops man who allegedly strangled and killed his pet cat and ditched it in a dumpster is expected to go to trial in 2014.
Steven Anthony Seidel faces multiple charges dating back to March 14 of this year including: cause unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal and two counts of causing an animal to be in distress.
The BC SPCA recommended charges against Siedel after an investigation into the death of a cat, found in a garbage dumpster behind the building Seidel lived in.
The SPCA reported the cat was strangled to death in a 'disturbing case of animal cruelty.'
Since the allegations went public, a petition began online entitled 'Justice for Oreo the Cat.'
The petition has garnered over 30,000 online signatures, requesting 'that Crown Counsel recommend to the judge the maximum sentence available under that law' if Seidel is found guilty.
Seidel is expected to appear in court next in January for a pre-trial conference, with a trial expected in March.
If convicted, he could face two years in jail and $75,000 in fines and possible a lifetime ban on owning animals.
To contact a reporter for this story, email: jwallace@infotelnews.ca, call: (250) 319-7494 or tweet: @jess__wallace.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013