By Malynda Fulton
QUITMAN — The teenager arrested in relation to the burnings of three cats in Brooks County has been indicted.
Cory Ward, 17, is indicted on three counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, indictment papers state. He has been out on bond since March 20.
Ward was arrested Monday, Feb. 2, in connection with the December 2008 deaths of two cats and the disfigurement of a third cat in the area of Eaglewood Estates Mobile Home Park on Troupeville Road. He became the primary suspect after several concerned citizens provided leads to the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office.
Brooks County Sheriff Mike Dewey said polygraph tests and various interviews led to the arrest. A written statement described how the cats were doused in gasoline and set on fire.
“He previously told us that he had no part in it and tried to pin it on someone else,” Dewey previously told The Times. “However, after interviewing the other person, we found that person had no involvement.” About 10 a.m. on Dec. 20, 2008, Jim Ragan said that his cat, “Little Jim,” showed up on his porch severely burned.
After taking the feline to the veterinarian, Ragan returned home to find his other cat, “Blackie,” at home and suffering from third-degree burns.
Ragan said he thought the injuries could have been accidental until his neighbor’s cat showed up two days later in even worse shape than his two.
The third cat, “Fluffy,” was burned and had two broken legs. “Fluffy” and “Little Jim” were taken to a University of Florida veterinary hospital where they later died.
Since June, “Blackie” has continued to improve at home after undergoing an ample amount of surgery.
