Overview
- A witness reported seeing kittens thrown from a moving vehicle and provided the car’s license plate, prompting Brookhaven police to respond on Wednesday and find a dead kitten near the 2700 block of Osborne Road SE.
- Officers used the plate to identify the vehicle, located 25-year-old Valentina Tobon Henao at a nearby business, and took her into custody on a felony animal cruelty charge after she confirmed she was driving but denied having animals in the car.
- Authorities say the investigation is active and they have not released the total number of kittens allegedly thrown, the condition of any surviving animals, or a motive for the incident.
- Some local outlets have reported additional surviving kittens and injuries while police have not publicly confirmed those accounts, and detectives are asking anyone with information to contact the Brookhaven Police Department.
- The arrest has drawn strong reactions from witnesses and neighbors, and investigators have directed media about booking photos to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office as they continue their probe.