ROBERT B. ROAN

COVINGTON - Laying out poison with the intent to kill a "problem" animal might seem like a somewhat anonymous act difficult to trace and devoid of legal consequences. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While reported incidents of animal cruelty are not an every day occurrence in St. Tammany Parish, the Sheriff's Office does investigate suspicious deaths of animals and complaints of mistreatment with vigor. And the District Attorney's office, given the proper evidence, will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone connected to the mistreatment of animals. Under Louisiana law, a person may be charged with aggravated cruelty to animals if he "unjustifiably administers any poisonous or noxious drug or substance to any domestic animal or unjustifiably exposes any such drug or substance with intent that the same shall be taken or swallowed by any domestic animal." Aggravated cruelty to animals is a felony in Louisiana, and if convicted, a person can be imprisoned for a minimum of one year and a maximum of 10 years and face a fine of up to $25,000. Another factor in a hypothetical situation of placing poisoned food out with the intent to kill animals is what happens if a child places the food is his mouth and dies as a result of the toxins? "Well in that hypothetical situation, the intent to harm the animals would be transferred, legally, to the child and a person could be charged, if the child who died was under the age of 12, with first-degree murder - a capital crime," St. Tammany Parish Assistant District Attorney Joe Tosterud said. "Even though the person did not have the intent to kill the child, by laying out the poison, they are responsible for the death because of the negligence of the action. "People need to think about the consequences of their actions before they do them because after they put out that poison it is too late." St. Tammany Parish Humane Society Director Janice Breaux said the agency receives complaints on a fairly regular basis about animals that may have been poisoned. She said there is no excuse for anyone to poison an animal that they believe is causing a problem. "If you have a problem with an animal, call our agency or call the parish animal control office, but do not lay out poison for that animal to ingest and then to die a horrible death," Breaux said. "You have no idea how many animals that poison may kill and there have been instances where someone laid out poisoned food to kill one particular animal and it ended up causing the deaths of dozens more. "The scenario of a child picking up the poisoned food and putting in his mouth or of a child playing with an animal that has eaten poison and still has it around its mouth is very possible and extremely horrifying to think about." Breaux added, "We (the St. Tammany Humane Society) have pressed charges against people in the past for animal cruelty and animal-poisoning cases and people need to know there are consequences for the actions. "Everyone on Death Row has abused animals at one time or another and numerous studies have shown that people who are cruel to animals will be cruel to people." If a citizen suspects a pet has been poisoned or mistreated in any way, he should contact the Sheriff's Office at 898-2340 to file a report and then call a veterinarian to ask about medical treatment for any surviving animals. The Sheriff's Office employs animal control officers to investigate possible cruelty cases and to assist citizens with problem animals.