PANAMA CITY BEACH — The Bay County Sheriff’s Office has charged a Bay Point resident with animal cruelty, though the man has not been connected to the recent deaths of two cats in the community.
Brian James Rutherford, 55, 555 Wahoo Road, was arrested Tuesday night for an alleged incident of animal cruelty earlier this year. In March, according to a Bay County Animal Control incident report, Bay Point residents reported Rutherford was luring cats and trapping them in a small cage, beating on the cage with a piece of wood afterward. Rutherford also allegedly sprayed the trapped cats with a high-pressure water hose. Animal Control reported investigating two reports of such activity, to which Rutherford admitted.
After the mutilated bodies of two cats were found at Bay Point this month, investigators turned their attention to Rutherford. His home was searched Tuesday and a small animal trap was recovered, officials said, but investigators did not find evidence linking Rutherford to the recent cat deaths.
“We do not have evidence at this point to tie him to anything further, but our investigation is continuing,” BCSO Maj. Tommy Ford said.
In the incident report, a Bay Point resident claimed Rutherford said he was “taking it to the next step” with the cats and was “building something special” for them. Several cats from the neighborhood had gone missing, the resident said. In May, Rutherford contacted Animal Control after trapping a black and white cat at his home. The cat was released to Animal Control.
Investigators are not ruling out that animals such as coyotes or foxes may be preying on the cats that have been found mutilated.
“We have not been able to make a firm determination whether it was animal activity or intentionally done by someone,” Ford said.
The remains of the second dead cat, which were found Tuesday on Pompano Road, have been sent to the University of Florida to determine the animal’s cause of death. It was unclear when those results would be available.
Meanwhile, deputies are working with Bay Point security to increase patrols in the area. They’re also seeking leads from Bay Point residents, whom Ford said are likely unnerved by the recent cat deaths.
“That kind of thing certainly gives people an uneasy feeling, so we are taking things seriously,” he said.
Anyone with any information on the possible mutilation of cats in Bay Point is asked to call the Bay County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers at 850-785-TIPS (8477).