By: Yuritza Arroyo
Monmouth County authorities announce that a Howell Township man has been criminally charged with intentionally killing his pet cat.
According to officials, Christopher Sanchez, 29, is charged with third-degree Animal Cruelty by Unnecessarily or Cruelly Abusing a Living Animal, Resulting in its Death.
Officials say an investigation into Sanchez’s activities was initiated on Friday, March 31, when members of the Howell Township Police Department who were dispatched to a residence for an unrelated matter found the cat's body outside the home.
Members of the Howell Township Police Department and the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Humane Law Enforcement Division conducted an investigation determining that the cat, named Lilith, had belonged to Sanchez, who is alleged to have used a sharp instrument to kill it two days earlier.
Sanchez was charged and arrested on the same day as the initial police response, then transported to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending a detention hearing tentatively scheduled to take place in Monmouth County Superior Court on Wednesday, April 12.
