SC man accused of killing cat with butcher knife

CAMPOBELLO, S.C. — A 46-year-old Spartanburg County man is accused of killing a cat with a butcher knife.

Local media outlets report Friday that Joseph Bergman of Campobello was charged with ill treatment of animals after a couple driving by saw the crime and reported it.

County Environmental Enforcement Director Jamie Nelson says Bergman told officers his cat was sick, but he couldn't afford a veterinarian and didn't have a gun. So he held the cat down on the driveway and began chopping it.

A news release says Bergman told officers that when the cat began kicking, he flipped it over and began chopping the other side. After the cat died, he tossed it in a pasture across the street.

Nelson says two other cats were removed from Bergman's home.

Associated Press