Sonora man caught on tape killing cat, police say

A Sonora teenager has been charged with felony cruelty to animals after being caught on videotape killing a cat, Sonora police reported Monday.

Spencer Morse, 19, admitted to killing the animal at an apartment complex the night of June 15, police say. “He claimed an unrelated cat had bitten him on the finger approximately a week prior, so he had driven to the apartment complex with the intent to locate and harm a cat,” according to a news release from the Sonora Police Department.

The manager of the complex, at 250 Greenley Road, called police Friday to report the incident, saying a surveillance camera captured the killing.

The video shows a red Toyota Celica drive into the parking lot of the complex about 11:11 p.m. June 15, police say. It shows a male getting out the car, grabbing a cat by the tail, swinging it over his head and slamming it to the pavement, causing fatal injuries. From the video, an officer was able to identify Morse as the subject.

On Saturday night, police received a tip that Morse’s Celica was parked in the lot of the Sonora Walmart. Officers responded to the area and confronted Morse as he returned to the car. He was taken into custody without incident and booked at the Tuolumne County Jail. Morse has no prior criminal history, police say.

This story was originally published June 22, 2015 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Sonora man caught on tape killing cat, police say."