LAKELAND, Fla. — A licensed practical nurse in Lakeland, Florida has been arrested for animal cruelty after allegedly poisoning her neighbors’ cats and a pregnant Chihuahua, resulting in the deaths of the two cats and their unborn puppies, authorities said.
Tamesha Knighten, 51, was taken into custody by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday for the pet deaths that occurred on Aug. 16, 2023. The owners of the animals notified authorities after their two cats, Luna and Pancake, died within hours of each other. Following this, the owners discovered their pregnant Chihuahua named Daisy dead, along with the puppies in her womb, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Grady Judd expressed his outrage at the incident, warning individuals against causing harm to innocent animals. He emphasized the severity of the crime during a news conference, stating that threatening and poisoning pets would result in arrest and imprisonment.
The owners told investigators that Knighten had repeatedly threatened to poison their pets if they entered her yard. They reported seeing her outside on the day the animals died.
Knighten has been charged with three counts of felony animal cruelty.
Video footage showed Knighten handling a bowl containing a substance later identified as a chemical called Phorate, which had been used to poison the animals, as per Sheriff Judd. The investigation took some time to lead to an arrest, as samples had to be sent to labs at three universities for analysis.
The sheriff condemned the nurse’s actions, stating that it takes a cold-hearted person to commit such a cruel act against animals.
Tamesha Knighten is employed by United Health Care at Wellmed in Lakeland.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.