Last month, while driving through the Florida Keys, a guy claimed to have thrown two kittens out of the window of his SUV. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reports that on Thursday, they arrested 29-year-old Diego Torres Ruiz of Islamorada on two counts of animal cruelty.
Two kittens were tossed from a Hyundai Santa Fe driven by Ruiz on U.S. 1 northbound in Islamorada on November 28. This is according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
Vehicles allegedly swerved to avoid hitting the kittens, and a witness was able to jot down the plate number of the offending vehicle.
Several minutes later, according to the sheriff’s office, the suspect, eventually identified as Ruiz, was apprehended. As for the kittens, he claimed to know nothing about them. Ruiz was released after deputies searched for the cats but failed to locate them.
The statement of the eye-witness lead to the arrest of the suspect
The sheriff’s office reported that a kitten was found dead later that day, possibly after being hit by a car. A second kitten escaped into the woods in Islamorada but was found by a worker at the resort’s Rain Barrel Village.
According to the sheriff’s office, the kitten was transferred to Whiskers & Paws in Key Largo for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. According to reporters, the witness who observed what happened took in the surviving kitten and later identified Ruiz as the SUV’s driver.
Ruiz’s arrest warrants were issued when the sheriff’s office contacted the State Attorney’s Office. Sheriff Rick Ramsay released a statement saying, “I take these crimes very seriously, and I’m delighted to announce an arrest was made in this case.”
According to WLPG, Ruiz’s arraignment is set for January 3.
source: kiro7.com
