ORANGEVALE, Calif. — A California man is accused of animal cruelty after two cats were stolen and one was later found dead, authorities said.
Colin Lendewig, 18, of Orangevale, was arrested on Tuesday after a six-week investigation, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Lendewig was charged with cruelty to animals and petty theft, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday.
Deputies said a woman in Orangevale contacted the sheriff’s office on Sept. 7, stating that she had video evidence of an unknown person entering her property two times, The Sacramento Bee reported.
On the first occasion, the suspect was seen “harming one of the cats,” the sheriff’s office wrote. The second time, the person was seen stealing the other cat.
“One of the cats never returned and the other was found deceased in a nearby yard,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
After an investigation, Lendewig was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, KCRA-TV reported. He was released later Tuesday, online booking records show.
Lendewig will be arraigned in court on Thursday afternoon, according to KOVR-TV.
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