Family cat shot with arrow: Neighbors face cruelty charges
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By Kevin Behr / Winona Daily News
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A St. Charles, Minn., family, including an 11-year-old child, witnessed their pet cat walking home from a neighbor’s yard with an arrow protruding from its abdomen in September.
Late last week, animal cruelty charges were brought against the alleged shooter and his father who allegedly conspired to shoot the animal with a compound bow.
Ajalon Thomas Corcoran, 23, was charged with two counts of animal cruelty. One count is a felony for causing the animal’s death, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
His father, Bernard Morse Corcoran, 54, received identical charges for aiding and abetting the crime.
According to the criminal complaint brought by the Winona County Attorney’s Office, the family saw the cat coming across the street with the arrow sticking out of its side Sept. 17. They were unable to remove the arrow but broke it off to transport the animal to an emergency veterinary clinic.
Because of contamination, the time required to remove the arrow and uncertainty about a successful recovery, the veterinarian recommended against surgery. The cat was put to sleep.
The family confronted the Corcorans about the incident, but they denied involvement.
A deputy with the Winona County Sheriff’s Department inquired about it, and Ajalon Corcoran admitted to shooting the cat with a compound bow and a blunt-tipped arrow typically used for small game. He said the cat was a nuisance and thought it was a stray. He told investigators he attempted a lung shot with the intent to kill the cat but did not want it to suffer. Ajalon Corcoran said he had an agreement with his father to kill the animal, according to court documents.
Neither man has been arrested, but they have been summoned to appear Jan. 24 in Winona County District Court.