Police arrested a woman and her boyfriend after finding 24 dead cats in their freezer
Boddie Eugene Williams, 37, and Samantha Lyn Platz, 38, both of Trumann, were charged with 24 counts of aggravated animal cruelty. Platz was also charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, and Williams was charged with possession of meth, less than two grams.
Trumann police arrested a woman and her boyfriend after finding 24 dead cats in their freezer, according to a police report.
Around noon on July 2, an anonymous caller requested a welfare check on a girl living on the 600 block of South Ozark Avenue.
Officers went to the house and spoke with Williams, who was in a shed in the backyard. Williams was on probation, serving a suspended imposition of sentence.
Officers encountered two other people in the shed, Kevin Jones and Doris Arnold. All three of them had search waivers on file; they were searched and police found meth and meth pipes in the shed.All three denied ownership of the drugs, but they were all arrested for possession of meth.
Police continued their investigation at the house. At the door, they spoke with Platz, the mother of the victim and the girlfriend of Williams.
Sgt. Blaine Cagle and other officers informed Platz of the reason for the visit and entered the house, where they were “immediately overwhelmed by a strong foul odor consistent with the presence of a large number of animals.”
“I was immediately met with the odor of ammonia, causing my nose and chest to burn,” Cagle said.
Cagle, who has asthma, said he “suffered respiratory distress due to the high ammonia levels,” and had to use his inhaler to recover from the stench.
Officers observed 10 or more cats and “large quantities” of cat urine and feces in the house, along with human food, pet food, and trash
