POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A licensed practical nurse in Polk County is facing animal cruelty charges after authorities claim she poisoned her neighbor's pets in August.
Sheriff Grady Judd said Tamesha Knighten of Lakeland used a concentrated insecticide called phorate to kill the three animals: two cats named Pancake and Luna and a pregnant dog named Daisy.
The sheriff's office said the investigation started on August 16 when the two cats died within hours of each other; both suffered from the same symptoms that included choking, being unable to breathe, foaming at the mouth and obvious signs of significant pain.
Four hours after the cats died, the couple found Daisy, their Chihuahua, dead.
According to the sheriff, the investigation took several months because they worked with UF, Texas A&M and Michigan State to figure out what poison was used.
A Styrofoam bowl was found in the couple's yard with chicken mixed with something dark, which was later found to contain phorate, which is highly toxic to animals, according to the EPA.
Judd said Knighten was seen on video wearing plastic gloves while she carried a Styrofoam bowl. When she was asked about it, the sheriff's office said Knighten initially said she didn't know why she was holding the bowl or what was in it, then she later said she put food out to feed the neighborhood animals.
When Knighten was asked if officials would find anything else in the chicken, Judd said Knight told them they would find her "special seasoning."
Judd said Knighten told authorities she thought the animals got into ant killer she had put out. Judd said officials tested the ant killer against what was found in the animals and the chicken, and none was found.
The couple who owned the animals told the sheriff's office Knighten regularly threatened to poison their pets if they came into her yard. They also told authorities Knighten was outside "pacing" along their shared fence line on the day the animals died, according to a press release.
The couple said when Knighten saw one of the cats foaming at the mouth, she said it must be choking on a frog, according to the release.
Judd urged anyone having problems with a neighbor's pets to try to work it out themselves or contact an animal investigator to help.
"Do not ever, ever poison innocent animals — unless, of course, you want to go to jail as well," Judd said.
Knighten was arrested and charged with three counts of animal cruelty and one count of depositing poison in a public area.
