The man Dalton, Georgia, police allege was seen on video earlier this month tossing a kitten out of his truck was arrested Friday morning on charges related to the abuse and abandonment of animals.
Terry Charles turned himself in based on warrants for his arrest, according to a news release from the city of Dalton. He was charged with three counts of abandonment and one count of cruelty to animals. All four charges are misdemeanors, the release said.
The three kittens left June 13 at the Humane Society of Northwest Georgia in Dalton are doing well, and two of them are ready to be adopted, according to Kym Stuzman, a volunteer with the shelter who works with cats.
She spoke to the Chattanooga Times Free Press in a phone call soon after the incident.
“We’re thankful to the Dalton Police Department, who continued to look for the man, and for the community, who passed along tips,” Stuzman said in a follow-up text message Friday. “These kittens are precious and deserve great homes.”
The Humane Society posted the video on social media of a man tossing a kitten, sparking outrage from the community and several tips for law enforcement. Police allege the man in the video is Charles.
(READ MORE: Man caught on video throwing kittens from truck in Dalton, Georgia)
Charles “was recorded on surveillance video taking one of the kittens out of the back of his pickup truck and throwing it end over end onto the concrete,” the release said. “The kitten hit the pavement and tumbled to a stop before scurrying back towards the truck.”
Charles could not be found for comment through social media or a public records search.
Charles was identified a few days after the video was released, but could not be located because he had moved from his last known address, the release said. Detectives located and interviewed Charles on Thursday, the release said.
One of the conditions of Charles’ bond is that he must surrender all animals in his care within 48 hours, according to the release.
“I’m proud of the job the investigators did determining who the suspect was and getting them into custody,” Dalton spokesperson Bruce Frazier said by phone. “I think it’s a very good thing.”
Unwanted animals dropped off without permission at the Northwest Georgia Humane Society are unfortunately common, Stuzman said. The cruelty shown in this incident was unnecessary because people can surrender their animals to the Humane Society or other organizations, she said.
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The shelter gets hundreds of calls a month about unwanted animals, Stuzman said. In June, the shelter had about 100 dogs and 70 cats available for adoption, she said. People should spay and neuter their animals, Stuzman said, because there just aren’t enough good homes for the number of animals.
“There is no reason for people to not have their animals fixed,” she said.
Other states like New York with stricter spay and neuter laws don’t have the same problem with unwanted animals, Stuzman said, and often have animals transported from states like Georgia because there are not enough animals locally to adopt.
Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659.