Fla. man allegedly put kittens in freezer

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Three Florida trailer park residents are in jail: Two following an apparent love triangle shooting and one because he allegedly put four kittens in a freezer.

Pinellas County sheriff's deputies were called to Sunshine Mobile Home Park in St. Petersburg Saturday to check out a report of two people being shot, and arrested Francis James Bahr, 55, and Damian William Blanchard, 25.

Bahr allegedly had wanted a relationship with the female shooting victim but was rebuffed, the Tampa Bay Times reported. Bahr and Williams went to the woman's mobile home where Blanchard allegedly called the woman and another man outside then shot them each in the torso.

The victims were listed in critical condition but were able to speak with detectives.

Police say they're unsure Blanchard or Bahr knew their third roommate -- Blanchard's father, Rodney J. Blanchard, 49 -- was already in police custody for a bizarre incident that allegedly killed a kitten the day before.

The elder Blanchard had been visited by a friend who he asked to retrieve a beer from the freezer. When the woman opened the freezer there was no beer -- but there were four kittens each in individual sandwich bags meowing.

When the woman tried to remove the kittens from the freezer, allegedly Blanchard shoved her and threw her out of the trailer. She called Pinellas County sheriff's deputies. When they arrived, one of the four kittens, a 6-week-old female, had stopped breathing. Three males were shivering and one was having trouble breathing. All were covered in fleas.

Asked what he was thinking, Blanchard told deputies he'd wanted to put the kittens in "timeout."

Deputies arrested the elder Blanchard on four counts of animal cruelty and one count of battery. He was being held in lieu of $8,500 bail.

The surviving kittens were unharmed and will be put up for adoption by Christmas, an animal protection group spokesman told the newspaper.