By Marlyn Montilla
Sep 12, 2024, 11:40 AM EDT
The ongoing court case against a 27-year-old Canton, Ohio, resident accused of killing and eating a cat has become part of the debate over presidential campaign issues, according to some people online.
An article in the Cincinnati Enquirer noted that some people are confusing the August arrest with unsubstantiated rumors that Haitian immigrants in the southwestern Ohio city of Springfield are eating domestic animals.
A video has been released purporting to falsely show police confronting a Haitian woman in Springfield for eating a cat.
What it actually shows is body camera video from the Canton Police Department of officers at the scene of the August 16 incident. The video posted by the “Fake News Network” is titled “Haitian woman eats neighbor’s cat in Springfield.”
In response to rumors on social media, Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck issued a statement through his office stating that there is no evidence that Haitian migrants have mistreated or eaten cats and other pets.
Despite Springfield’s efforts to debunk rumors about pet eating, former President Donald Trump continued to spread false rumors about immigrants eating cats and dogs.
“They’re eating the dogs! They’re eating the cats! They’re eating, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there!” Trump said during Tuesday’s presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Ohio woman accused of eating cat is from Canton
The suspect accused of killing and eating a cat has no connection to migrants from Haiti or any other foreign country.
Identified as Allexis T. Ferrell, 27, she was charged with cruelty to companion animals, a fifth-degree felony, and Stark County records show a history dating back to 2017, including credit card theft and misuse and child endangerment.
“Ferrell was first arrested in Canton in 2011,” Lt. Dennis Garren, a Canton police spokesman, wrote in an email Tuesday. “We have no reason to believe she is not a U.S. citizen.”
The woman is being held in Stark County Jail on $100,000 bail.
She pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Her attorney requested an evaluation to determine her mental health at the time of the crime and whether she is competent to stand trial.
Stark County Common Pleas Judge Frank G. Forchione is scheduled to hold a competency hearing on Oct. 15.
The animal cruelty incident occurred in the 1100 block of 13th Street SE at Jackson Sherrick Homes, a public housing complex owned by Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority. Ferrell lives at the complex.
Continue reading:
- He kills a dog and eats it with beans and tortillas. The person responsible was arrested in Querétaro and could spend two years in prison
- “They eat dogs and cats”: Trump’s accusation against migrants surprises Harris
- JD Vance and other Republicans spread lies about migrants in Ohio stealing cats and eating them