A man charged with killing a cat at a Lawrence apartment complex entered an innocent plea Tuesday during his first appearance in Douglas County District Court.
Brett Rizzo, 23, is scheduled to be tried on a charge of misdemeanor cruelty to animals at 1:30 p.m. March 6 in Division One.
Rizzo and his attorney, David Brown, appeared before Pro Tem Judge Peggy Kittle. After the hearing, Rizzo and Brown hurriedly left the building without comment.
A misdemeanor cruelty to animals conviction carries penalties that could include a fine from $100 to $1,000 and up to a six-month jail sentence.
Rizzo is suspected in last month's killing of a feline named "Mama Cat" at Meadowbrook Apartments, 101-T Windsor Place. The cat's mangled body was found in a trash Dumpster.
The stray cat had been taken in by the groundskeepers. The killing angered not only the groundskeepers but also many who lived at the complex and throughout the community. The incident also attracted the attention of the national headquarters for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Several of the groundskeepers appeared at the hearing.
"I think it's insulting that he entered a not-guilty plea," Donny Howell, one of the workers, said. "One of the charges should be that he has to clean up the blood."
Howell said there is still some traces of bloodstains on an outside wall at the complex.
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