Kitten buried alive couldn't 'be saved' — but Warrior can still get justice, shelter director says
Despite his best efforts, the director of an animal hospital could not save the life of a kitten that had been buried alive. Now he is seeking justice for the 6-week-old cat.
And because of a criminal complaint filed by Kevin King, an arrest has been made in his quest to get "Justice for Warrior."
Warrior is what King and the staff at the Unicoi County Animal Shelter named the kitten who was in dire straits when he was brought to Tennessee's Robinson Animal Hospital. King wrote a Facebook post detailing the attempts to save Warrior.
The kitten was covered in blood and dirt when he was brought to King on June 22, WCYB.com reported.
"I stayed with them and watched a team of them try to save him," King posted on Facebook. "His mouth and airways were full of dirt. He constantly gasped for air. They did their very best, but he could not be saved."
Also in the Facebook post, King names the Erwin man who was arrested on suspicion of burying Warrior alive.
Johnny Mack Rogers, 29, has been charged with aggravated animal cruelty, according to WJHL.com.
Rogers and a woman were drunk when she stepped on the cat, and Rogers buried the kitten in a shallow grave, a rescuer told WCYB.com. WJHL.com also reported court documents allege Rogers buried the kitten after it was stepped on.
"I was shocked and a lot of people was shocked," said Essie Foster, who lives in Rogers' neighborhood, according to WJHL.com. "Whoever done it, I think they need to be punished for it."
Another man and woman attempted to rescue the kitten from the shallow grave, digging him up and bringing Warrior to the animal hospital, the Johnson City Press reported. They told King that Rogers was responsible, and King was filing his complaint to Sgt. Paul Osborne of the Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department when he was told Warrior had died, the newspaper reported.
"I told you I’d make sure he was held accountable. That is going to happen," King wrote, asking for a large turnout of people for Rogers' Sept. 20 court appearance. "Mark your calendars. I want hundreds of people there. We need to show that this is not acceptable behavior in our community and in society."