A cat was euthanized Tuesday after it was set on fire at a Pompano Beach home, and an elderly woman is now facing charges, officials said.
Broward Sheriff's deputies and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue responded after 12:22 p.m. to a home on Northeast 33rd Street after a call that someone set a cat on fire inside a raccoon trap, BSO said.
Deputies found the cat in the backyard, and the fire was extinguished. The cat was taken to Hollywood Animal Hospital, where it had to be euthanized after life-saving efforts were unsuccessful, BSO said.
BSO's PIO announced Wednesday that an elderly woman was found responsible. Deputies arrested Elgathe Celestin, 79, on a change of aggravated cruelty to an animal.
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A possible motive and her connection to the animal remain unclear.
