Cats tortured, set on fire
Rancho Cucamonga, CA (US)Incident Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2008
County: San Bernardino
Charges: Felony CTA, Felony Non-CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Timothy Kooyman
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A homeless man on probation for an animal cruelty conviction was found with two tortured cats Tuesday, then linked to a small brush fire possibly started when another cat was doused in gasoline and set ablaze, officials said Wednesday.
Timothy Kooyman, 24, was arrested on suspicion of arson and felony animal cruelty after San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies found him in a truck parked at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Rancho Cucamonga.
The deputies responding to a report of a suspicious person found Kooyman living in the truck, said sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers. Deputies learned he was on probation and received permission to search the truck, she said.
They found two cats with broken bones and amputated tails. The animals and statements by the suspect led deputies to believe he may have been involved in a 4 p.m. brush fire at the end of Etiwanda Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga.
The blaze started when a cat was set on fire and thrown into the brush, Beavers said. It had similar injuries to those in the truck, she said.
"They had all clearly been tortured," Beavers said.
One cat died in the fire. The two found in the truck were alive but later euthanized by animal control officers.
Kooyman was convicted last month of a felony animal cruelty charge stemming from a November 2007 incident in Upland, according to San Bernardino County Superior Court records.
He was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to undergo mental treatment and not to possess any animals.
Kooyman is being held without bail at West Valley Detention Center. He is scheduled to appear for arraignment Friday, Beavers said.
Case UpdatesA 24-year-old transient accused of torturing and killing cats will be tried on four felony counts - three related to animal abuse and one related to starting a fire, a Rancho Cucamonga Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.
The judge's decision came after several police officials testified against Timothy Kooyman, revealing often gruesome details about his alleged animal abuse.
He killed one of the cats by dousing it with gasoline and using a lighter to set it on fire while it was still alive, one investigator said.
The burning cat then ran through dry brush in a vacant lot in north Rancho Cucamonga, causing a small brush fire.
Kooyman will be asked to re-enter pleas on the felony counts at an arraignment July15. He had pleaded not guilty June 6 in preliminary proceedings.
On May 14, the morning after he was arrested by San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies, Kooyman confessed the details of his cat abuse to Detective Alonzo Daniel, the detective testified Tuesday.
Daniel said Kooyman told him that he picked up a cat May 13 and drove to the vacant lot, where he broke one of the cat's legs.
Kooyman told the detective that he wrapped a cord from a cell-phone charger around the cat's neck to hold the animal in place, then doused the cat in gasoline before setting it on fire, Daniel said.
About 10 p.m. that day - six hours after the brush fire - sheriff's Deputy Wendy Saucedo arrested Kooyman after a routine vehicle check.
She testified Tuesday that she saw blood on Kooyman's shirt, and found a plastic storage bin inside the car that had two living mutilated cats inside. Their tails had been cut off, and all of their legs were broken.
The box was filled with bloody towels, and Saucedo said she found a pair of scissors covered in cat hair inside Kooyman's vehicle.
Both of the cats were later euthanized because of the severity of their injuries, said Jesse Kreider, a Rancho Cucamonga animal control officer.
Daniel said Kooyman told him that after he lit the cat on fire, he parked his car in a nearby neighborhood and took a nap.
After he woke up, Kooyman said he lured and mutilated the two cats found in the bin, Daniel said.
Two members of a Walnut Creek-based group that seeks stiff sentences for animal abusers attended the hearing.
"He's not crazy. He's simply sadistic," said Leroy Moyer, director of Voices for Pets. "He enjoys inflicting suffering on defenseless victims."
The judge declined to proceed with three additional felony charges of animal abuse against Kooyman because the incidents at Kooyman's Corona motel room took place in Riverside County.
Deputy District Attorney Debbie Ploghaus said she or detectives in the case will contact Riverside County officials to notify them of the incidents. | Source: San Berbardino County Sun - July 1, 2008
Update posted on Jul 2, 2008 - 1:55PM |
References« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
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