Animal rights activists and residents of a Mesa neighborhood, where cats have been disappearing alive and reappearing dead and mutilated, are angry at animal control and the Mesa Police Department, saying the charge against the suspect does not fit the crime and they are calling for the ouster of an animal control officer.
Scott Andrew Graham, 39, of Mesa faces a misdemeanor count of animal theft after dozens of cats in the vicinity of where he lives disappeared, many were found dead, he was caught taking one of the cats on video, and he threw a live cat out of his moving car’s window when a block watch captain followed him on a bicycle. More serious animal abuse and cruelty charges had been filed but were subsequently dropped due to what authorities said is a lack of evidence.
Residents, who planned to protest the lack of serious charges against the suspect at Mesa Municipal Court during the suspect’s arraignment hearing originally scheduled for Tuesday, have rescheduled the demonstration for Jan. 16. That is the new date of Graham’s arraignment.
Animal rights activist and protest organizer Jan McClellan said, “If they think we’re just going to go away and forget this, we’re not. We want to meet with the city and show them our evidence.”
The group of residents and activists said Mesa Animal Control bungled the case and are asking for the ouster of Animal Control officer Nick Cureton.
Block watch captain Ben Smith, who witnessed Graham throw a cat from the window of his vehicle while Smith was chasing the vehicle on his bicycle, and has been following up on the case ever since, said Cureton has been unresponsive to the neighbors’ concerns and has dismissed other mutilated, dead cats found in the area as not connected to Graham.
“He’s a ghost. I’ve never been able to get him on the phone,” Smith said.
Cureton’s supervisor Diane Brady, who said Cureton was not available for comment, said he and the Animal Control department did all they could but could find no evidence that the suspect hurt or killed the cats even though she called the deaths “suspicious.”
“It’s very hard on us to hear these accusations by the citizens, but I understand their frustration as well. But it boils down to we have to have the evidence to support the crime,” Brady said.
Amy Kalis, a resident whose cat Biscuit was killed along with another cat from the neighborhood that he often ran with, said her family has been devastated by the loss.
“It was a great loss to us and people say, ‘It’s just a cat,’” Kalis said. “Well he was a little different ... He was a great cat.”
Kalis said she never owned or liked cats before Biscuit, but the mild-mannered, loving cat won her over.
Smith also said he fears Graham could progress to hurting people.
According to the group of residents and activists and other media reports, Graham admitted to police he took Kalis’ cat as he was seen snatching it on video, but did not admit to killing it or up to 40 others he admitted taking. Also according to the group, police found physical evidence at Graham’s house and in the trunk of his car, but Mesa police did not return a message from the Tribune seeking comment about the investigation and to verify the evidence.
TestyTerri posted at 6:33 pm on Mon, Dec 3, 2012.
Mesa PD should have done the case or they should contract with the Arizona Humane Society to do their investigations. AZ Humane does hundreds of cases already in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
Dale Whiting posted at 7:21 pm on Mon, Dec 3, 2012.
This could be interesting. I was shocked to hear the President of the Clemente Ranch Home Owners Association advocate the killing of any cat not on its owner's property. He maintains that cats are inherently feral animals and hence have no right to live and let live. There are all kinds of animal lovers, dog lovers, cat lovers, bird lovers, even aligator lovers. This could become very big.
Presently I have one cat [for 14 years] and four dogs [from 6 months to 8 years old] and they intertain me constantly. And I don't walk my dogs. They walk me!
CoffeeIsTasty posted at 4:28 am on Tue, Dec 4, 2012.
First off, Jan McClellan does not even live in that neighborhood, nor did she know any of the people in that neighborhood prior to the unfortunate events. She is a professional activist...not a concerned pet owner from that neighborhood.
As far as the investigation goes, it was presented to the Prosecutor's Office and was declined. That does not mean the investigation was botched.
Regardless of if you are a pet lover or not, you should not leave your pets unattended, unless they are contained within the confines of your home. That would resolve that issue. The case is unfortunate and Graham certainly has issues that need to be addressed. But let's be realistic.
Now as far as Ben Smith and his band of looneys...they are extremists with nothing better to do. You want to make your cause heard? Great, speak your beliefs. But going around to other neighborhoods and leaving flyers propagating HATE and how you will hurt other people is also illegal.
loose stool posted at 4:36 am on Tue, Dec 4, 2012.
It would have been safer for him to go to jail, I think someone might track him down and hurt him. There is something wrong with a guy that tortures animals, eventualy he will kill someone.
bubba posted at 9:03 am on Tue, Dec 4, 2012.
loose stool ....You are 100% correct ! This is how serial killers start out. We have a Jeffery Dahmer in our midst. Law enforcement needs to keep a close eye on this guy.
Juggernaut8000 posted at 1:53 pm on Tue, Dec 4, 2012.
If I ever see this guy, I'm gonna kick his a$s.
nodon7 posted at 5:57 pm on Tue, Dec 4, 2012.
The legal system is mostly a failure when it comes to protecting animals and punishing those that commit acts of animal cruelty. This is yet another example. I am all for activists pursuing this. It is the only way the legal system will be forced to get its act together. Even if convicted of animal cruelty, which is rare at best, the punishment is very minor and clearly not enough to dissuade future such acts.
aaarrrggghhh posted at 8:28 pm on Tue, Dec 4, 2012.
CoffeeIsTasty: Do you have any evidence or facts to support your accusations against crime victim Ben Smith? if not, please don't make those accusations. Scott Graham is the person that was caught -- on video -- in the act of committing a crime. As for the video of Biscuit being snatched by Graham, that cat was on his owner's property. Do you seriously mean to suggest that it was somehow the owners' fault that Graham trespassed onto their property to steal their cat, torture and kill it? Quit making excuses for a criminal; someday you might very well be a crime victim yourself.
Heywood_Jablome posted at 1:30 pm on Thu, Dec 6, 2012.
The Tribpuke is a left wing paper. Otherwise they would not have taken down my comment about the protest being held outside of Planned Parenthood instead. There they rip babies apart in the womb. Screwwww a cat or two!
CoffeeIsTasty posted at 5:28 am on Fri, Dec 7, 2012.
@ aaarrrggghhh:
As a matter of fact, I do have facts to support my statement. I was approached by those people and asked to support their "cause." And yes, Graham was indeed caught on video...taking a cat that was lying on top of a car that was parked on the street. There was no trespassing involved. Don't make stuff up. Yes, I am absolutely blaming the Kalis' for leaving their pet unattended. I have pets (including a cat) and I would never leave them out like that...that is just plain stupid. And, there were no excuses being made. Graham committed a crime, and he should be punished. I was merely stating facts...but then again, people interpret things to suit their own tastes.
aaarrrggghhh posted at 2:58 pm on Fri, Jan 18, 2013.
CoffeeisTasty: First you say "Ben Smith and his band of loonies" then you say "those people". Who? What people? Do you know even know who you are accusing? It doesn't sound like it. You appear to be the one making "stuff" up. The video appears to be of a car in a driveway, but even assuming you are correct that the car was in the street, then by your (il)logic, someone can take your briefcase off your car because your car is in the street. Someone can take your wallet off your car because your car is in the street. It IS trespass to enter someone else's property (that includes a car) especially with the intent to steal. You ARE victim blaming and people that do that, whether it's blaming the pet owner because some sick creep comes into her neighborhood to steal and torture animals or a rape victim for wearing a skirt, is idiotic.