2 people arrested for allegedly abandoning kittens outside in freezing temperatures

ShaDiamond McQuieter and Jarrell Thomas face a combined 16 charges of class A cruelty to animals – abandonment.

AUSTIN, Texas — Two people are facing charges after police say they intentionally left a group of kittens outside in freezing temperatures last month.

In late January, KVUE reported that eight kittens had been rescued after they were found in a cage during icy conditions on Great North Boulevard, next to the northbound MoPac Expressway between Northland Drive and West Anderson Lane.

According to an affidavit obtained by KVUE, Austin Police Department (APD) officers responded to a call related to the kittens on Jan. 26. When they arrived on scene, a sergeant made contact with a woman named ShaDiamond McQuieter, who said she and her significant other, Jarell Thomas, found the kittens and contacted authorities for help.

While the sergeant was speaking with McQuieter, the affidavit says an individual walked up to the responding officers and said he saw McQuieter and Thomas set the crate on the snow and leave the kittens unattended.

When McQuieter was asked about this, she denied having seen the kittens before, then admitted she had been housing the kittens in a vacant apartment next to her home. She said she didn’t know who the owners of the kittens were, but she had been providing them with food and water.

She also allegedly told police she had contacted a local animal shelter requesting help with a surrender, but she was turned away.

Officers spoke with the witness who reported seeing McQuieter and Thomas leave the kittens outside. According to the affidavit, he told police he saw the pair place an “animal-type crate” near the side of the fence line just outside their apartment complex, adjacent to the street, then return to their apartment, leaving the kittens outside.

The witness also said he had seen McQuieter with the kittens before. He said he assisted her with a lock issue inside her apartment approximately three months earlier, and at that time, he saw multiple kittens roaming around the apartment. He told police they were the same kittens that were left in the crate and also allegedly reported seeing an adult cat, which he believed to be the kitten’s parent due to similar coat color, inside McQuieter’s home.

The affidavit states that the witness also said McQuieter’s comment about housing the kittens in an adjacent apartment was false and that she had “maintained possession of the kittens within her current apartment the entire time.”

Both McQuieter and Thomas now face eight counts each – one for each kitten – of class A cruelty to animals – abandonment.

Both suspects were taken into custody and processed by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. Court documents show they posted bond on Feb. 15. Their bonds were set at $5,000 with a condition that neither is allowed to have pets “besides the ones in their possession.”

Shortly after the kittens were discovered, they were transported by APD officers to the Austin Animal Center.