Southington police said she dropped an adult cat and a kitten in a busy parking lot, then ran over the kitten and seriously injured it.
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SOUTHINGTON, CT – A New Britain woman has been accused of abandoning two cats – including a kitten – in a local parking lot and then running over the kitten with her vehicle.
According to the Southington Police Department, Ana Rodriguez, 65, of 101 Governor St., New Britain, was charged Friday with two counts of cruelty to animals.
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She was released on $2,500 bond after turning herself into SPD. Rodriguez will appear in New Britain Superior Court on May 20.
In a disturbing account of what happened, Southington police said the incident happened April 15 in the parking lot of the Southington Walmart, 235 Queen St.
According to a report released by police Friday afternoon, Southington police officers were called to Walmart for an animal complaint.
At the time, it was reported that a black Nissan Rogue left an injured cat and kitten in the parking lot.
Southington Animal Control located the two felines and discovered the kitten was dead, with a witness telling the animal control officer that a vehicle had struck the kitten.
Citing witness statements, police said the suspect opened the back of his SUV, removed two cats and placed them both in the parking lot.
That witness, police said, saw the woman — later identified as Rodriguez — back out of the parking space, striking one of the cats, before leaving.
Police said the adult cat had a compound fracture on her right hind paw, with “bone protruding through the skin.” The injury required amputation of the leg, police said.
Meanwhile, an autopsy concluded that the kitten was killed when it was struck by the vehicle, police said.
According to police, a review of video surveillance captured details of the incident.
Police said the video showed Rodriguez reaching down and appearing to pick up the kitten a short distance from the vehicle and throw it after the kitten followed the woman back to her SUV.
The video, according to police, showed the suspect making “several slow attempts” to flee, stopping to check the kitten’s location, before advancing again and running over the kitten.
Police were able to track the vehicle to New Britain and Rodriguez’s home address, with SPD citing “police persistence.”
SPD said Rodriguez at first denied dumping the cats, but later admitted to leaving the felines in the parking lot without food, water or shelter.
Police said she denied running over the kitten.
According to police, veterinarians were unable to determine how the larger cat was injured, but concluded that it was a “recent traumatic injury, possibly due to being run over.”
Police said Rodriguez “intentionally released the two cats into a busy parking lot during business hours without food, water, shelter or concern for their health and safety.”
This, SPD said, resulted in the death of a kitten and serious injuries to the cat.
An arrest warrant was requested and obtained and Rodriguez turned himself in to authorities on Thursday.
