Frederick E. Brumage II, age 39, of 80½ N. Eighth St., Newark, pleaded guilty to aggravated menacing and cruelty to animals during a hearing before acting Judge Larry Arnold in Licking County Municipal Court.  Brumage will spend 30 days in jail for killing the kitten in front of its 4-year-old owner.

Arnold fined Brumage a total of $660 and sentenced him to 90 days in jail but suspended 60 days. Arnold also ordered Brumage to complete anger management and mental-health counseling and stop alcohol and drug use as part of a two-year probation.

During a visit at his neighbor's home, Brumage slammed the kitten on the floor while the 4-year-old girl was present and made her help him clean up the blood, according to court records.  He also threatened to harm the girl if she told her mother, who was in the shower during the incident, according to the records.

Brumage also tried to light the kitten's fur with a lighter and burn its paws on a hot burner of a stove, according to court records. The cat's teeth fell out during the abuse, the records show.

Brumage told investigators the kitten jumped on him and scratched him and he became upset. He also said he was drunk.

The kitten was found in a trash container near the girl's home. The mother notified authorities, according to the court records and authorities.

Reference:

The Advocate

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