Last December two Cahokia, IL, youths hung a cat from a tree, shot firecrackers at the animal and made a videotape of the torture, which they sold to classmates for $6 a tape. The first youth went to court on March 28 and pled guilty to animal cruelty; prosecutor Bob Haida asked for 30 days of detention, a year of probation and a psychiatric evaluation. Unbelievably, the judge only sentenced the youth to one year of court supervision.
ASPCA News Alert readers, please write to Judge James Radcliffe, St. Clair County Court House, 10 Public Square, Belleville, IL 62222, and tell him that
animal abuse cases should be taken seriously because they often are indicators of future violence. You can also write to Bob Haida, State's Attorney, at the same address, and express your disapproval about the state accepting the plea.
