OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) – A dog was seized and an Oil City woman was charged with animal cruelty after a dog was allegedly “set on fire” and not provided the necessary veterinary care.
Court documents indicate the Oil City Police Department filed criminal charges against 44-year-old Melissa Rae Kaster, of Oil City.
According to a criminal complaint, on March 31, Oil City Police were contacted by a known woman who advised a dog had been “set on fire” and was not receiving necessary veterinary care.
The complaint states police discovered the dog in question belonged to Melissa Kaster, and she had posted photos of the animal’s injures on Facebook. After she posted the photos, Precious Paws Animal Rescue offered to provide free veterinary care to the dog for the injuries, but Kaster allegedly denied the offer.
Police obtained copies of the posting, including the photographs Kaster posted. Police then contacted Precious Paws Animal Rescue regarding the incident and found the organization was still willing to provide medical treatment for the dog for free.
According to the complaint, Precious Paws advised that based on the animal’s injuries in the photographs, the dog would need medical treatment.
Police then made contact with Kaster and the dog, and the dog was seized for medical treatment.
The dog was then transported to Precious Paws Animal Rescue, where it was treated for its injuries.
The complaint states police received information from Precious Paws that the dog received not only follow up care for the burns but was also found to have BBs inside if it, showing it had been shot with a BB or pellet gun at some point.
Authorities did not release information on who was responsible for shooting the dog or setting it on fire.
The following charges were filed against Kaster through Magisterial District Judge Andrew F. Fish’s office on April 14:
– Cruelty to Animals, Misdemeanor 2
– Neglect of Animals – Vet Care, Misdemeanor 3
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, with Judge Fish presiding.
