MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie man was arrested after he allegedly harmed multiple cats, including one specific instance that was captured on camera.
According to documents from the Muncie Police Department filed in Delaware County, 37-year-old Brandon Doolittle faces a preliminary charge of one count of animal cruelty, classified as a Level 6 felony. Doolittle was taken into custody on Monday.
Officers responded to a call about an animal issue at a local restaurant early Saturday morning. The court records indicate that a woman informed the police of a video captured by a Ring camera, showing a family member, later identified as Doolittle, harming a cat.
The video, reportedly recorded at a home in northwest Muncie, allegedly depicts Doolittle retrieving a yellow/orange cat named Sebastian from under a piece of furniture. According to the documents, Doolittle is seen striking the cat and then lifting it using both hands.
In the footage, Doolittle’s body blocks the camera’s view when a “loud snap is heard,” coinciding with him moving his right shoulder and hand. The records state that afterward, Doolittle places Sebastian into a trash can.
Subsequently, the woman informed officers that Sebastian survived initially, and alleged that Doolittle shot the cat with a pellet gun a few days later. She claimed the events took place in early August and that Doolittle urged her to erase the footage from the camera.
The woman also recounted to the police additional alleged instances of violence involving Doolittle and animals. The documents note that Doolittle is suspected of shooting another cat back in May.
“When asked about why (Doolittle) harmed the animals, (the woman) stated that he would often laugh about harming them and would show her the videos of the acts,” the documents said. “She stated she believed he did this to ‘haunt her.'”
In an interview that Doolittle reportedly had with law enforcement, the documents said that when he was told that the interview was about the alleged video footage of him slapping or striking a cat, he requested a lawyer.
