A licensed practical nurse in Florida is facing felony charges after allegedly poisoning two cats and a pregnant dog, causing their horrific deaths. The incident occurred on August 16, and the suspect, 51-year-old Tamesha Knighten, was arrested on January 3. Sheriff Grady Judd of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office addressed the disturbing case in a news conference, stating that the suspect had threatened to poison her neighbors’ pets if they came into her yard. Sadly, she followed through on her threat, causing the tragic deaths of the beloved animals.
The victims, who were Knighten’s next-door neighbors, recounted the terrifying ordeal to the police. They reported that the suspect had made repeated threats to poison their pets. According to reports from WTTV, the felines, Luna and Pancake, died within a short time of each other, exhibiting symptoms of choking, difficulty breathing, and foaming at the mouth. Daisy the Chihuahua also passed away, along with her eight unborn puppies, making the alleged animal cruelty even more disturbing.
During the news conference, Sheriff Judd explained the events leading up to the poisoning. He revealed that Knighten had been caught on her home surveillance cameras wearing a rubber glove and carrying a white Styrofoam bowl on the day of the incident. The bowl was found to contain canned chicken laced with a pesticide called Phorate, which was also found in the pets’ systems. The veterinarian who examined the animals confirmed that this chemical would have caused them immense suffering before their tragic death.
In a stern warning to the community, Sheriff Judd urged anyone with issues regarding animals to approach their neighbors peacefully, seek legal assistance, or contact the police’s animal investigations unit. He emphasized that taking matters into one’s own hands and resorting to intentional harm towards innocent pets is unacceptable and will be met with severe consequences. “Do not ever poison innocent animals unless, of course, you want to go to jail as well,” he declared to the public.
The investigation into this horrific incident took over two years to conclude, as it required the expertise of three university laboratories to analyze the pets’ tissues and identify the substance used in the poisoning. Knighten, who initially denied any involvement and claimed to have put ant bait outside her air conditioning unit, was eventually charged with three counts of felony animal cruelty and one count of depositing poison in a public area. The suspect was released on bond on January 4th.
According to Sheriff Judd, the suspect showed no remorse for her actions, even when presented with concrete evidence against her. “It takes a cold-hearted person to poison and kill two cats and a pregnant dog — it’s hard to imagine how a person in the medical field could do such a thing,” he expressed, denouncing the suspect’s callous behavior. “These people lost their beloved pets in a most horrific way, and she lost her freedom by going to jail,” he added, highlighting the severity of her crimes.
As with any criminal case, Knighten is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. But if the allegations against her hold true, this case serves as a reminder of the importance of treating all animals with compassion and respecting the bond between pets and their owners. As for the victims, they will never get their beloved pets back, but hopefully, they will find some comfort in the fact that justice is being served for the horrific deaths of Luna, Pancake, and Daisy.