Charges against Eagle man allege he shot two cats in Garden City
An Eagle man facing animal abuse charges in Garden City will appear in court next month, and court records show that more counts have been filed since the Garden City Police Department requested the public’s help in finding the suspect last week.
On Feb. 15, police received a call alleging that a man shot a cat in the 5100 block of N. Alworth Street. After an investigation, police said they found probable cause that George Gebran committed animal abuse and discharged a weapon within city limits, both misdemeanors.
On March 4, GCPD sent out a press release requesting the public’s help in locating the man. Police declined to respond to an inquiry from the Idaho Statesman about when Gebran was located, but court records show that an Ada County judge quashed a search warrant related to Gebran on Tuesday.
The criminal complaint against Gebran shows that additional counts of each misdemeanor he was originally accused of have been tacked on — meaning two charges of animal abuse, a state violation, and two of discharging a weapon, a Garden City violation.
The complaint filed by the city attorney alleges that Gebran shot two cats while they were caged on or about Feb. 15. Court records show that he pleaded not guilty to the charges on March 5 and agreed to appear for a pretrial conference on April 8.
The incident led to concern from the community and a demonstration outside City Hall calling for harsher charges. A petition was also started on Change.org and garnered more than 3,000 signatures in support.
“Our community expects acts involving deliberate suffering of animals to be investigated and prosecuted thoroughly under the laws of the State of Idaho,” the petition reads.
