A New Britain woman is facing animal cruelty charges after police say she abandoned a cat and a kitten in a parking lot and then ran over the kitten while driving away.
Police responded to the Walmart parking lot on Queen Street in Southington on April 15 after getting a call about the cats being abandoned there.
Witnesses reported seeing a woman get out of a black SUV, leaving the cats in the parking lot, and then driving over the kitten as she pulled away. Officers found the kitten dead and the adult cat suffering from a compound fracture to its leg.
A veterinarian determined the kitten's cause of death was consistent with being run over by a vehicle, according to police.
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The veterinarian could not determine how the larger cat was injured, but concluded the broken leg was a recent injury possibly due to being run over by a vehicle. The cat's leg had to be amputated.
Police looked at surveillance video from the area and were able to identify the vehicle invovled.
The suspect, a 66-year-old woman from New Britain, turned herself in on Friday after learning of a warrant for her arrest. She was charged with two counts of cruelty to animals and was released on $2,500 bond. She is scheduled to be in court on May 20.