PORTLAND, Tenn. (WTVF) — A man was arrested Friday for the mistreatment of a cat resulting in its death earlier this week in Portland.
Richard Lee Tyler Russell, 39, of Portland, Tennessee has been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals.
On Monday, Portland Police and Animal Control were dispatched to Strawberry Street Monday after someone found a kitten burned and "in poor health as a result," said the Portland Police Department.
The person who reported the animal cruelty incident to police identified Russell as the person who previously had custody of the kitten.
Portland police says the kitten was apparently injured Saturday in a fire pit behind a home on Strawberry Street, and Russell failed to seek any medical attention for the "obviously injured" animal.
The kitten was transported Monday by Portland Animal Control to TRU Rescue of Mt. Juliet, where the animal later died due to its injuries.
Russell was located by detectives with Portland police who interviewed him about the incident that resulted in the kitten's death. Russell did not admit to injuring the animal but gave an account of the incident deemed not-credible by the investigators.
Russell is currently being held in the Sumner County Jail on a bond of $25,000, and he has a pending court date for November 9 later this year.
