COVENTRY, R.I. — Police arrested one of the two people suspected of taking a pair of caged cats from a vehicle and leaving them outside a Rhode Island Taco Bell last week. Surveillance video from the restaurant showed the pair ordering and picking up food before abandoning the animals.
Coventry police shared two surveillance videos of the abandonment. In one, two people can be seen in grainy video getting out of a vehicle around 12:20 a.m. Thursday and placing something on the ground before they appear to order from the restaurant's drive-thru on Tiogue Avenue.
Press Release UPDATE - Video #2
Posted by Coventry Police Department, RI on Friday, January 27, 2017
Coventry Police are posting video surveillance footage from Taco Bell on our Facebook Page in an effort to identify the individuals involved. It should be noted that the video quality is poor, but we are asking the public to view the videos in hopes someone may report some useful information leading to the identity of the individuals involved.
This is the second of the two videos which shows the footage as they pull up to the drive thru window after dropping the cats in the grass leaving them behind. The driver pulls up to the drive thru, exits the vehicle and appears to briefly speak with the employee.
Coventry Police is looking for the public's help with identifying the persons involved in this incident. If you have any information please contact the Coventry Police at 826-1100 or Animal Control at 822-9106 or email Tips@Coventrypd.org
See something, say something.
About half-hour after the cats were left behind, police found them in a grassy area outside the Taco Bell. An investigator took the animals to the Coventry Animal Control facility.
An anonymous caller tipped police off on Saturday to the possible identities of the pair. Police identified the suspects as Stacey Derouin and Kenneth Germani.
Authorities arrested Derouin, 41, later that night on two counts each of animal abandonment and failure to get a rabies vaccination for the cats.
"Stacey gave a statement admitting to her and Kenneth leaving the cats at Taco Bell," police said in a news release. "Stacey stated (that) she attempted to contact several animal shelters, but was unable to find placement for the cats."
Police could not immediately make contact with Germani, who they said is wanted for questioning in the case.
Police continue to investigate.
Cox Media Group
