On December 6, 2015, Sugar, a sweet, 6-year-old, 8 pound Domestic Short Hair cat, escaped from her home. She wandered to a yard several houses away from her own. When the homeowner, Mike Leinert, was unable to catch her, he called the police for help.

Officer Leighton Pursell of the North Catasauqua Police responded. As they walked to the back of the house, the officer told him that "it may not be politically correct, but if it's injured we'll put it down." The officer made no effort to catch Sugar, other than to poke her a bit as she hid under a grill. Other than a little hissing, Sugar was not aggressive. She finally came out, walked a small distance away, and sat on some steps. Even though Sugar was not aggressive or injured, the officer told Mike that he was going to shoot her.

Mike went inside and a moment later heard the gunshot. He was told by the officer that he would have to "clean up the mess." The officer left with Sugar's body and apparently threw it in a dumpster. Thankfully, another officer helped Sugar's owner retrieve the body and he was able to have her cremated.

This is unacceptable. This shooting was not only unreasonable, it was criminal. We are calling for Officer Pursell's immediate termination from the North Catasauqua Borough Police Department. We are also demanding that criminal charges of Cruelty to Animals be filed.