Bastrop Police Chief Michael Black says that Bartlett admitted that he caught the cat, named Moody, when he was trying to get rid of cats. He left Moody in the back of his truck for three days because he allegedly “forgot” it. He then brought it to the police who noted that the claimed “feral” cat had a name tag including the phone number of Moody’s owners, Sarah and Eddy Bell, on its collar. The officer said Bartlett promised to return the cat to the owners, but it was found later that day on the bank of the Colorado River below a bridge. It turns out that the same animal control officer called to the scene happened to be the one who had assisted Bartlett earlier that day and recognized the cat.
Sarah Bell says that the crime has destroyed her daughter’s faith after learning the preacher allegedly committed the crime. When Bell told her that Moody was in heaven now, her daughter responded “I don’t believe in Heaven anymore, Moody’s just dead.”
Bartlett faces a charge of animal cruelty which could result in a $4,000 fine and a year’s imprisonment.
Source: KVUE as first seen on Reddit