Florida Man Arrested for Animal Cruelty, Accused of Killing Kittens

A Florida father, David Charette Jr., aged 48, was arrested for allegedly killing family kittens in front of his teenage daughter, according to authorities. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office provided bodycam footage showing deputies responding to a home in Pine Manor. They were following a report of Charette attempting to drown and harm a kitten named Luna, aged two months.

Authorities charged Charette with aggravated animal cruelty, accusing him of killing two kittens and injuring a third. Witnesses reported that Charette used this behavior as punishment for his daughter when she misbehaved, describing it as a deeply troubling incident.

The body camera video reveals Charette defending his actions to deputies. “The cat is in perfectly healthy condition,” he said. “I have to give the cat a bath because it soils itself in the cage.” Charette explained that the kitten would cry during the bath, which his daughter disliked.

Charette’s daughter alleged that he kills her kittens when she misbehaves, a claim Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno described as particularly sickening.

Investigators discovered that Charette allegedly killed two other kittens over the past year. In one incident, he reportedly smothered a month-old kitten with a bleach-soaked rag. In another, a three-month-old kitten allegedly died after exposure to a blow-dryer. Authorities charged Charette with aggravated animal cruelty regarding these acts. Although he buried the kittens in the backyard, investigators found only one during a property search.

Luna, the surviving kitten, received treatment at a local animal hospital and is recovering, as stated by the sheriff’s office.