Marion County — A 13-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with Aggravated Animal Cruelty.
According to reports, Marion County Animal Control officers called deputies after they discovered that James William Basener has tortured a neighbor’s cat to death.
During the investigation, Basener initially denied the allegations, but later confessed.
Basener said that approximately a week ago he spotted the cat in his neighborhood and brought it back to his house. He then put the can in a trashcan where he kept it for several days.
While the cat was trapped inside the trashcan, Basener also struck the cat several times with a pole.
Then, on July 13, Basener attempted to stab the cat but it bit him. At that time, Basener stuffed the cat inside of a trash bag and began bashing it against the pavement. The cat escaped, but Basener grabbed it by the tail, and again, slammed it on the pavement until blood began to come from its mouth.
The cat then died.
Basener then tossed the cat into a neighbor’s yard. He said he tossed it in the yard because he believed that dogs would eat the deceased cat.
Basener was arrested and transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice. He was later released into the custody of his parents.
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