Boys arrested after burned cats are found

By Erin Mayes and Rebecca Ray

Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies were appalled to find two dead, burned cats tied to the railroad tracks Sept. 12 near Saratoga Avenue and Dagmar Drive.

On Sept. 17, sheriff's deputies and the Santa Clara County Fire Department responded to another fire on the railroad tracks, where they found two more burnt felines. Silicon Valley Animal Control took one of the cats, which survived and had burns on its paws, to a veterinary hospital for treatment.

Information provided by witnesses and nearby residents led deputies to two 17-year-old suspects at a Campbell residence. Deputies arrested the boys, who admitted to being involved in the Sept. 17 incident, and charged them with arson and felony animal abuse.

The boys' parents gave deputies permission to search a vehicle matching the description of one seen at the fire. Deputies found a live, unharmed cat locked into a center console in the car and turned it over to Silicon Valley Animal Control for custody and care. The cat has been returned to its owner.

Deputies booked both boys into Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall. The cats found Sept. 17 were supposedly taken off a street in the Campbell area early that evening, the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's department is "reasonably sure" the same suspects were involved in the Sept. 12 incident, said Captain Dennis Bacon of the Westside Substation.

Anyone with knowledge of the case should contact detective Don Ray at 408.299.2211, or the West Valley Patrol Division at 408.867.9715.

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