ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA – A 62-year-old woman who was found guilty of violating an Orange County ordinance because of a revenge killing is facing felony charges Monday.
Witnesses said Wanda Griffin, 62, was out for nothing but revenge for the death of her cat and plowed into two dogs before beating them with a bat.
Griffin had paid a $600 fine and attended pet care classes for treating an animal in a neglectful manner, but now she may well end up behind bars.
The State Attorney’s Office has now filed third-degree felony animal cruelty charges against Griffin.
Neighbor William Proctor said to Channel 9 that the January 2015 incident was a day he’ll never forget.
“It was just brutal and unmerciful and it’s just not right,” Proctor stated.
Proctor said he testified in the ordinance violation hearing and that he would surely testify again in a criminal case.
“She was cursing and saying, ‘They killed my cat. They killed my cat.’ The dogs didn’t understand what they were saying,” stated Proctor. “All of the sudden, they just turned their car right into the dogs, and that just made a sound that hurt your stomach when you heard that.”
The dogs were lying in the street with their bones broken, and Proctor said he thought the attack was over, but that’s when Griffin grabbed a bat and beat them.
Proctor stated the dog’s owners encouraged their pets to chase after cats, but he said two wrongs don’t make a right.
Proctor said he’d warned the owners of the dogs in the past.
“They didn’t pay too much attention to what I was saying. But when they had to come over here and get their dead dog, they was crying, you know, they was remorseful,” stated Proctor.
The latest felony charges filed against Griffin could carry a sentence of up to five years in prison and fines of up to $5,000.
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