Officers attempt to identify animal cruelty suspects

Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers will pay a cash reward to an anonymous caller who helps the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office identify the man and woman involved in an animal cruelty case in which a cat was killed by two dogs.

A small grey and white cat was found dead in the parking lot of Bruner Middle School on April 25. Video surveillance revealed that at approximately midnight the night before a white male and female drove to the school parking lot in a dark colored late model, possibly 2006, GMC Yukon or Chevrolet Tahoe with chrome wheels, a sun roof and courtesy light on the outside mirrors. The male suspect then exited the vehicle holding the cat and retrieved two medium-sized brown dogs from the back of the SUV and used the cat to taunt both dogs. The suspects then watched as the dogs chased and killed the cat. The suspects loaded the dogs back into the SUV and left the parking lot. Photos of the suspects may be viewed at www.emeraldcoastcrimestoppers.com.

Anybody with information about this incident should contact the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office at (850) 609-2000, Panhandle Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) at (850) 243-1525  or may possibly become eligible for a cash reward by calling Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers at 863-TIPS (863-8477), or toll-free at 1-888-654-TIPS. Crime Stoppers callers are never required to reveal their identity nor testify in court. A code number system is used to pay cash rewards without compromising the tipster’s identity.

Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards of up to $1,000 for information that helps solve crimes, or leads to the location of wanted fugitives, illegal drugs, or recovery of stolen property. Crime Stoppers is a non-profit, community organization; it is not a government program or law enforcement agency, and no taxpayer dollars are used in its reward fund.