Prineville pastor, accused of shooting cat, now charged with first-degree animal abuse
KTVZ
(Update: Adding video)
PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) — A Prineville church pastor who allegedly shot a neighborhood cat and placed in a church dumpster now faces a first-degree animal abuse charge.
The Prineville Review was first to report the charge against Jason Andrew Swick,48, this week, having confirmed the filing with Crook County District Attorney Kari Hathorn.
“The Crook County District Attorney’s Office has charged Jason Swick with one count of Animal Abuse in the First Degree,” said Hathorn. “We will continue to work closely with law enforcement and the cat’s owner as the prosecution and investigation continues. We are unable to comment further on the matter.”
The Oct. 22 charging document alleges Swick, pastor of the Prineville Church of Christ, “did unlawfully and recklessly cause serious physical injury or death to an animal.” Swick is scheduled for arraignment Dec. 3 on the charge, which is a Class A misdemeanor.
Swick is accused of shooting a cat named Pumpkin several times at his Prineville home in early September before placing the injured animal in a dumpster at the church.
The cat survived the shooting but suffered severe facial injuries that left him permanently blind.
Swick says on his church’s profile page that he is a basketball referee and substitute teacher at Crook County High School. The Prineville Review said state records confirmed he holds an active restricted substitute teaching license.
KTVZ News earlier worked alongside the Prineville Review to investigate the incident, which sparked a protest at the church. We asked the pastor for comment, to which he did not reply. However, he posted to his Facebook page that he believed the cat was feral and had been attacking his family’s chickens. The post later was deleted, but Swick expressed remorse over what happened.
Depending on the circumstances, the charge of first-degree animal abuse can be either a Class A misdemeanor or a Class C felony, the Prineville Review reported. If convicted on the misdemeanor-level charge, Swick could be prohibited from owning any animals for up to five years under Oregon law.