A Fairless Hills man late last month pleaded guilty to multiple felony counts of aggravated assault for shooting two cats the later part of 2023 which led the Bucks County SPCA (BCSPCA) to pay a tipster a reward for only the second time in the organizations more than 100 year history.
Shawaun Lakins 46 of Fairless Hills pled guilty and has paid more than $6,000 in restitution to the owner of the cats for medical expenses incurred, as well as fines and court costs. He will serve four years of supervised probation as part his guilty plea that he entered in front of Bucks County Judge Jeffrey L. Finley on December 18 of last year.
Lankins as a result of an all out effort which included social media and local news coverage, was arrested after investigators secured video footage from a community tipster. The two cats Tootsie and Jackie, were shot near the Aspen Falls Apartments on November 15, 2023.
Both cats belonged to the same owner who was heartbroken when she learned of the malicious attack. Tootsie, a white cat, died from injuries she sustained from the shooting (radiographs showed a pellet lodged near her spine). Jackie, a black cat, survived the shooting but required surgery to remove her badly damaged eye and still has one pellet lodged in her skull. Jackie made a good recovery, and her owner reported recently that she is alive and well, investigators said.
“Sadly,BCSPCA is called upon to investigate shootings of owned animals in Bucks County each year. We are so thankful to the community who shared the reward post and news stories on social media. Thanks to the actions of concerned citizens, someone with credible information heard the story and contacted our Humane Law Enforcement team. We also appreciate the cooperation of Falls Township police in this investigation. This case should send a message to anyone who considers shooting or otherwise harming animals in Bucks County, BCSPCA’s Executive Director Linda Reider said.
It is illegal in PA to intentionally beat, injure, abuse, or cause serious bodily injury or death of an animal. Anyone who suspects an animal in Bucks County is being neglected or abused should contact BCSPCA’s report cruelty tip line at 844-SPCA-Tip (844-772-2847) or reportcruelty@buckscountyspca.org.
