Sheriff's deputy back in action for cat killing in Kern County

On March 27, a black cat wandered into a wide green field at the Kern County Sheriff's shooting range. Two officers in olive-drab tactical gear spotted the cat, chased it and shot it. Along with a third officer who did not draw his weapon, according to a witness, the group watched as the cat writhed in pain and died.

Now they are back on duty, said Donny Youngblood, sheriff of Kern County, on Sunday. “This case is closed,” he told KGET television news. “The allegations have been substantiated. The officers have been appropriately disciplined.”

The sheriff declined to say what punitive measures were taken. “That's all I can tell you without violating the rights of the peace officer,” he said.

The officers were never charged under California Penal Code Section 597, which provides for a prison sentence of up to three years for the “malicious and willful killing of an animal.”

The incident likely would have gone unnoticed had it not been for a woman named Susan Bowen riding by on her bike and witnessing it. She said she saw officers chase and kill the cat, and although she was unable to film the shooting, she confronted officers from a distance, recording video on her phone and shouting, “What are you doing to the cat? You just shot it?”

“There was damage to property,” replied one MP.

“Property damage?” Bowen shouted. “A cat? And now you're not going to put it out of its misery?”

She posted the video on Facebook.

Bowen could not be reached for comment on the resolution of the matter.

Youngblood also told KGET that he had “met with animal rights groups; they are happy with what we are doing.”

The Times attempted to contact Barb Hays, who heads the Cat People, an organization that cares for feral cats in Hart Memorial Park under a contract with Kern County. The park is northeast of Bakersfield and borders the shooting range. Hays could not immediately be reached for comment.