In Ohio, accidentally hitting and killing a cat in the street can lead to a felony charge under certain circumstances. A recent case in Dayton highlighted this legal situation.
On November 7, Dayton police officers observed a car running a stop sign. When the officers attempted to pull over the driver, he failed to stop and fled the scene. While trying to evade the police, the driver struck and killed a cat in the street, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.
The driver eventually parked the vehicle, got out, and attempted to run on foot, but police officers were able to apprehend and arrest him.
The 22-year-old driver from Harrison Township was indicted on December 3 by a Montgomery County Common Pleas Court grand jury. He faces felony charges for failure to comply with a police officer’s order, cruelty to companion animals, and obstructing official business, along with a misdemeanor charge for resisting arrest. He is currently under home electronic monitoring.
In 2016, Ohio lawmakers passed “Goddard’s Law,” which allows prosecutors to charge individuals with either a first-degree misdemeanor or a fifth-degree felony for causing “serious physical harm” to a companion animal, as outlined in an Ohio Legislative Service Commission brief.
In October 2024, the Ohio Supreme Court expanded this law to include all cats and dogs, ruling that the law applies regardless of whether the animal is owned or simply “kept.”
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