Destin man leads rally after 'horrendous' kitten killing (with photo gallery)

CRESTVIEW - Judy Althouse drove six hours from Ocklawaha near Ocala with daughters Janet and Jill to see Tuesday‘s arraignments of two men accused of killing a kitten and to participate in a rally her son, Jason Williams, of Destin, organized outside the Okaloosa County Courthouse.

"This case is so horrendous. We're here to send a message that it's not okay to kill a cat," said Althouse, standing in a rain-soaked t-shirt that said, "No excuse for abuse."

Michael Tracy Long Jr., 19, and his father, Michael Tracy Long did not attend Tuesday's hearing before County Judge Jim Ward. Attorneys for the Longs entered written pleas of not guilty for the felony animal cruelty charges. The trials were set for Dec. 4 before Circuit Judge William Stone.

"These kinds of cases happen all the time around here and we had to do something," said Williams.

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To see a photo gallery of the rally, click here.

To watch a video interview with Destin's Jason Williams by Florida Freedom Newspaper's Nick Tomecek, click here.

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More than 30 people joined him on sidewalks outside the courthouse.

"We had to be a voice for the voiceless," Williams said.

Althouse cried as she echoed the sentiments of her son, who wished the Longs had been "taught to respect life."

"People go, ‘A damn cat? You care this much about a damn cat?' Yes, I do care about this," she said. "It's not just about a cat. It's about children and the elderly. You've got to start somewhere. Americans have really got to stand up for what they care about."

Althouse and Williams vowed to track the Longs' cases to the end.

"We're going to try to get some kind of Web site and keep our e-mail group alive," Williams said. "We'll just keep following it."

To join Williams in his fight for abused animals, contact him at jaydestin@gmail.com or call him at 424-6851.