https://www.westernjournal.com/woman-jailed-hit-animal-cruelty-charges-killing-spider/
A Florida woman was arrested on animal cruelty charges and other counts after allegedly killing another woman’s pet spider by drowning it in a fizzy drink.
Ilena Rasmussen, 43, faces counts of animal cruelty and petty theft after ending the life of a jumping spider in a situation that resulted in her being charged on July 29th.
According to The Miami Herald, Rasmussen’s roommate was the first to notice something wrong, and potentially criminal, had occurred.
On July 15, the roommate arrived home to find her pet spider and its enclosure missing entirely.
She texted Rasmussen, who gave the roommate some shocking news.
“The defendant texted the victim admitting to drowning the jumping spider in ginger ale,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an affidavit, according to the Herald.
Because the drowning was allegedly intentional, Rasmussen was hit with the animal cruelty charge.
The creepy crawly’s missing enclosure was answered with a petty theft charge.
Authorities valued the pet jumping spider at $70, although no exact species identification has been offered yet. (It turns out, there are more than 6,000 species of jumping spiders.)
A Florida woman was arrested on animal cruelty charges and other counts after allegedly killing another woman’s pet spider by drowning it in a fizzy drink.
Ilena Rasmussen, 43, faces counts of animal cruelty and petty theft after ending the life of a jumping spider in a situation that resulted in her being charged on July 29th.
According to The Miami Herald, Rasmussen’s roommate was the first to notice something wrong, and potentially criminal, had occurred.
On July 15, the roommate arrived home to find her pet spider and its enclosure missing entirely.
She texted Rasmussen, who gave the roommate some shocking news.
“The defendant texted the victim admitting to drowning the jumping spider in ginger ale,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an affidavit, according to the Herald.
Because the drowning was allegedly intentional, Rasmussen was hit with the animal cruelty charge.
The creepy crawly’s missing enclosure was answered with a petty theft charge.
Authorities valued the pet jumping spider at $70, although no exact species identification has been offered yet. (It turns out, there are more than 6,000 species of jumping spiders.)
