A heartless Alabama man is accused of tossing five little kittens out of his car while driving down a highway. Thomas Ronald Liccione, 21, of Birmingham, was arrested Saturday after allegedly throwing five cats from his moving vehicle while driving on I-65 near Lakeshore Drive.
The Homewood Police Department responded to multiple 911 calls around 1pm and quickly arrived at the scene. After speaking with witnesses, officers tracked down Liccione’s car and detained him.
'Homewood officers spoke to multiple witnesses who reported seeing the driver of the vehicle in question throw five kittens out of the window while he was driving on I-65,' the department wrote in a Facebook statement. 'Tragically, all five of the kittens were struck and killed on the interstate by other vehicles.'
Liccione was arrested on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals and taken to Jefferson County Jail, where his bond was set at $15,000. Aggravated animal cruelty is a class C felony in Alabama, defined as a person who intentionally causes severe harm or torture to an animal, including causing serious injury or death. In the red state, the penalty for aggravated animal cruelty is one to 10 years in prison, along with fines racking up to $15,000.
'The Homewood Police Department takes animal abuse and cruelty calls very seriously,' the department wrote. 'We would like to sincerely thank the witnesses and motorists who contacted Homewood 911 and provided information to Homewood Police Officers on scene.'
Online records show that Liccione was booked at 5pm on Saturday and was released after posting bond nearly an hour later. Locals took to social media to express their outrage over the kitten incident. 'What he [allegedly] did was cruel and heartless, and there is no excuse point blank,' one user wrote. Another said: 'What could drive someone to do something so horrible to innocent kittens?' 'Absolutely horrific and heartbreaking,' another user wrote.
