Ruth Henson, 52, pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness to two charges of aggravated cruelty to animals last Thursday.
The charges stem from an incident where she allegedly smothered two of her daughter’s cats with plastic bags. Henson faces up to two years in prison and a maximum $5,000 fine for each of the charges.
Henson’s daughter, Stephanie Henson-Barber, was locked out of their shared residence where the alleged offenses occurred on Christmas last year, after Henson told police officers she would care for her daughter’s two cats.
A friend told Henson-Barber her belongings had been strewn about the alley behind the residence on December 31. When Henson-Barber arrived with police to pick up the belongings they discovered her two cats bound by the feet and their heads covered with plastic bags in a pile of trash.
Police asked Henson about the cats, and she said, “I had to put them to sleep.” She then refused to comment on the matter any further.
Henson-Barber told police the reason her mother gave for killing the cats was she needed some peace and quiet.
Henson’s trial date has not yet been determined, and her bond was set at a $10,000 signature bond.
