Arkansas Kitten Abuser to Serve Jail Time What society fails to recognize is this behavior is not an immature prank or joke. Individuals with a propensity to abuse the weak are themselves emotionally warped. We need to deal with them as such.

Thanks to your efforts, City Attorney Don Bourne received more than 300 letters about Tiger's case. On September 20, George Allan Pettingill of Springfield was sentenced for his crime. The court ordered as follows:

1. One hundred twenty days in Pope County Detention Center with all but 60 days suspended upon one year's supervised probation. Pettingill is to report for incarceration on September 30, 2000, at 5 p.m.

2. A fine and costs in the amount of $1,000.

3. Restitution for all veterinary services rendered to Tiger, referred to in court as "the victim of [Pettingill's] conduct."

4. A fine in the amount of $110 on the charge of disorderly conduct.

The following is an excerpt of the Order and Judgment of Conviction:

"The Court finds that the Defendant's conduct manifested deliberate and needless cruelty to the animal which was the victim of his actions. This animal was sacrificed for no more than the sake of a crude joke. Many of our laws seek to protect the weakest among us from the tyranny of the bully. In the Court's opinion, it takes a particularly callous, cruel, and dangerous mind set to take an animal as helpless as a kitten and throw it from a moving vehicle for the sake of sadistic entertainment. The Defendant now seeks mercy, when he has shown no mercy. The Defendant's conduct is intolerable in a civilized society which respects all forms of life as worthy of protection from cruel, unnecessary, senseless, and inhumane treatment.

"In addition, the Court finds very disturbing the fact that the Defendant has shown no genuine remorse for his actions. Instead, the Defendant came into court and, in the Court's firm opinion, chose not to tell the truth. Despite the fact that the Defendant confessed to a police officer shortly after the incident that he had thrown the cat because he thought it would be funny, he came into court claiming the kitten jumped out of his hands at the same exact time he uttered his offensive statement. The evidence, which included solid eyewitness testimony in addition to the Defendant's own confession, is overwhelming proof of guilt in this case."

Never underestimate the power of your pen;
your letters made a tremendous difference.

Thank you again to all who wrote.