Utah couple charged with taping kitten in sandwich container
Siamese #Siamese
Athena, a 6-week-old Siamese kitten found stuffed into a sandwich-sized plastic container that was duct taped shut, is making remarkable progress, according to the veterinarian staff treating her. A couple has been charged with torturing the cat. (Angel Paws Veterinary Services)
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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — A couple arrested in December after police say they found a kitten taped inside a sandwich container in their car are now facing criminal charges.
Justin Dale Epperson, 45, and Emily Maureen Allred, 41, were charged last week in 3rd District Court with torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony; drug possession, a class A misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor. Allred was also charged with an extra count of drug possession, a class A misdemeanor.
On Dec. 11, Cottonwood Heights police went to 7307 S. Canyon Centre Parkway on a report of two people camping illegally in a car in an underground parking lot.
Police found both Epperson and Allred with drugs in the vehicle, according to charging documents.
“During an inventory of the vehicle (an officer) could hear a cat meow. (Another officer) located a kitten duct taped into a small plastic sandwich box. The kitten was covered in feces and its fur was ripped out. The kitten had obvious head injuries that were red and swollen. The kitten was unable to keep its head still and was in bad health,” the charges state.
Allred said both she and Epperson had passed out after doing drugs, according to police.
“Allred remembers hearing Epperson state that he was going to make a diaper for the kitten. Allred was unsure why Epperson had cat hair all over his clothing,” the charges state.
Angel Paws Veterinary Services, 160 E. 4800 South, took the kitten in. Despite the kitten initially being in very poor condition, the medical staff announced in December that Athena, a 6-week-old Siamese, will make a mostly full recovery.
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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.