Charges dropped against men accused of killing cats in trash compactor, protestors call for justice

ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU/Gray News) – A community in Indiana is rallying for justice for two cats who were intentionally placed in a trash compactor and killed.

Residents are furious after the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office said it will not be seeking charges against the three people who allegedly admitted to putting the cats in the trash compactor to kill them.

The alleged animal abuse happened at the Jayco RV plant in Middlebury back on Feb. 27.

Three former employees of the RV plant were initially charged earlier this month with torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal, but the charges were dropped a few days later due to a clerical error.

Prosecutors initially told WNDU that the men could face charges in connection with this case in the future, but now, they say no criminal charges will be filed against them.

According to prosecutors, the feral cats caused extensive damage to the business’s ceiling and other valuable items. A week before the cats were killed, investigators claim the company tried to find a new home for the cats, but that they traveled approximately 10 miles to come back to the RV plant.

That’s when the RV employees reportedly killed the two cats with a trash compactor that “caused death within a few seconds.”

Prosecutors say there was “no evidence suggesting the employees intended to cause suffering or prolonged physical pain to the cats.”

In a news release, prosecutors say an exception to Indiana law prohibiting the abuse of a vertebrate animal exists when the animal that is destroyed is endangering, harassing, or threatening livestock or a domestic animal, or destroying or damaging a person’s property.

However, the officials with the Humane Society of Elkhart County says Jayco never contacted their shelter about the cats.

“Absolutely we should have been contacted,” Executive Director Rob Laroy said. “We had plenty of room for the cats.”

Laroy says he was surprised to hear charges would not be filed against the workers.

“We don’t have all the information the prosecutor has, but I really feel they should have been charged,” he said.

The decision to not file the charges came just minutes after protestors rallied outside the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office to demand justice for the cats.

On Wednesday afternoon, dozens of protestors urged the prosecutor to refile charges against the three men.

“Our only goal today is to ask the prosecutor to charge the three individuals that admitted to crushing and mutilating cats to kill them,” said Jodi Aker, president of The Meow Mission, who organized the protest.

Several protestors held signs that said things like “Cats are not disposable,” “Justice for torture victims,” and “Cats lives matter.”

One protester is an employee of Jayco and said she was upset not only by the prosecutor’s decision but also her company’s response.

“As an employee of Jayco, I’m pretty upset by the company’s response because it was conflicting statements with the affidavit, which is hopefully a case of a mistake somehow or perjury,” the Jayco employee said. “But they’re saying they don’t condone it. I want to trust them on that.”

The Meow Mission took to social media after the announcement was made that all charges were dropped, saying they were shocked, gutted, sad and angry.