'I don't believe in heaven anymore': Little girl's heartbreak after local pastor 'killed her cat named Moody by throwing him off a bridge'



A Texas pastor is set to go on trial for allegedly throwing his neighbors' cat to his death off a bridge last year.

Pastor Rick Bartlett, 56, was arrested last January after a cat named Moody, which belonged to Sarah and Eddy Bell, died in his care.

The 12-year-old ginger and white feline was found clinging to life under a bridge along the Riverwalk on the bank of the Colorado River in Bastrop on January 17, 2012. He later passed away.

A veterinarian who examined the animal's body determined that Moody suffered lung damage consistent with blunt force trauma, or a fall from a high place, according to police.

Bartlett, who served as a pastor at the Bastrop Christian Church, told police that on January 15, Moody got ensnared in one the traps he had set out in his garden to catch feral cats, the station KHOU11 reported.

The 56-year-old clergyman also admitted to officers that he had Moody in a cage in the back of his pick-up truck for three days without food or water because he forgot about him.

It was not until January 17 when Bartlett said he opened the back of his truck and discovered the trapped feline, at which point he drove to the local police station and handed Moody over to an officer.

An animal control officer noticed a tag on the cat's collar with a name and phone number of his owners.

The officer offered to take the pet to Sarah and Eddy Bell, but Bartlett said he would do it himself since they were his neighbors.

Several hours later, a passerby strolling alone the Riverwalk spotted Moody's lifeless body on the bank of the Colorado River 40-50 feet below the Loop 150 bridge.

Bartlett had initially told police that the cat escaped from his truck and jumped off the bridge, but later offered a different version of events.

According to an affidavit, the pastor stated that ‘he was extremely stressed and angry because of personal issues and feeling that no one was taking responsibility for the cat.’



The statement goes on to say that Bartlett untied the bungee cord attached to the cage and opened the door, allowing Moody to roam around the bed of the pickup truck and hoping that he would jump out of the vehicle while he was driving.

Sarah Bell said her five-year-old daughter was left traumatized by the experience of losing Moody.

'She knows the man who did this is a pastor at the Bastrop Christian Church and she said, "I don't believe in Heaven anymore, Moody's just dead,”' Mrs Bell said.

In an online statement, the Bells claimed that Moody had his pads torn from his feet and 'strangely bleeding from his penis.' However, an animal control officer who examined the animal said Moody had no external signs of trauma.

The cat's owners have created an online petition to collect signatures in an effort to convince the jury in Bartlett’s trial that he should be given the maximum sentence.

If convicted of the misdemeanor charge of animal cruelty, the pastor could face a $4,000 fine and up to a year in jail.



In March, The Digital Texan reported that the Bells also filed a civil lawsuit against Bartlett and his wife, Tina, accusing the couple of theft and negligence in connection to Moody’s death.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...illed-cat.html
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