A psychology professor at Youngstown State University (YSU) in Youngstown, Ohio, was indicted Thursday on an animal cruelty charge after a cat was found dead and mutilated in her refrigerator. The woman reportedly said that she was “having a bad day” when taken into custody at Walmart.
Professor Amy Williams was indicted on Thursday by a Mahoning County grand jury on a charge of “prohibitions concerning companion animals,” a fifth-degree felony, according to a report by WKBN.
The charge can include “knowingly caus[ing] serious physical harm to a companion animal,” as well as subjecting a companion animal to “torture, torment, needlessly mutilate or maim, cruelly beat, poison, needlessly kill, or commit an act of cruelty,” according to the state code.
Williams resigned from her position at Youngstown State University on December 20, nearly one month after she was cited on November 22, when police allegedly found a dead cat in her apartment.
A friend of Williams told police on November 22 that she had called the professor after YSU staff contacted her to tell her that Williams had not shown up to teach her classes, according to a report by the Vindicator.
The friend reportedly told police that when she called Williams, she said she was “not okay, and that she was going through some type of psychotic episode.” She added that Williams said she was “having a bad day” at Walmart.
One of Williams’ two cats was found dead and mutilated in the professor’s refrigerator, according to a police report obtained by the Vindicator. Williams’ friend could not find the other cat.
Police went to Walmart, where they found Williams, who allegedly yelled at officers before she was detained.
The officers then reportedly asked Williams if she harmed her cat, but she did not answer. The professor expressed fear that police were “going to kill her.” When another officer later asked Williams about her cat, she reportedly said, “I think I hurt it.”
Williams was then taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation, where Williams “admitted to not taking her medications,” according to the police report.
The next day, the police assisted the Animal Charity of Ohio by serving a search warrant at Williams’ apartment, where the cat was found mutilated and dead. The second cat was recovered and is reportedly doing well.
One of the charges against Williams is a felony punishable by up to a year in prison, and the other charge is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail, reports the Vindicator.
According to the American Counseling Association, Williams was “an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Special Education, and School Psychology at Youngstown State University.”
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