An Ohio woman has been sentenced to one year in jail after pleading guilty to a felony charge of animal cruelty for killing and eating a cat.
Allexis Ferrell, 27, appeared at Stark County Common Pleas Court on Monday, where Judge Frank Forchione condemned her actions, stating: “This is repulsive to me. I mean, that anyone would do this to an animal. And an animal’s like a child. I don’t know if you understand that or not.”
“You’ve embarrassed this county,” the judge added. “You’ve embarrassed this nation. More importantly, you’ve embarrassed yourself.”
The incident occurred in late August when police responded to an emergency call at a housing estate in Canton. A report indicated that Ferrell had killed the cat by “stomping its head then eating the cat.”
Officers arriving at the scene found Ferrell squatting next to the dead animal. Police told 3News she had blood on her feet and fur on her lips. Bodycam footage captured one officer asking: “Did you eat that cat? Did you eat it? No? Why’d you kill it then?”
Ferrell remained silent as officers contacted the Humane Society, with one officer remarking, “Will you call the Humane Society to see if they’ll come pick this cat up? It’s deceased.”
The case attracted widespread attention in September amidst a flurry of misinformation after former President Donald Trump falsely claimed Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating pets. Officials later clarified that Ferrell is not of Haitian descent, nor is her case connected to those claims.
“She is not an immigrant and was born in America,” authorities stated, seeking to dispel any connection to the controversial allegations.
Judge Forchione described Ferrell as presenting “quite a danger to our community,” expressing disbelief over her actions. “I can’t express the disappointment, shock, disgust that this crime has brought to me. I don’t know what could prompt anyone to want to eat a cat.”
The New York Post reported that Ferrell’s sentence will run concurrently with an 18-month term she is already serving for theft and child endangerment.
