LAKELAND, Fla. – A woman was arrested and charged with felony animal cruelty after allegedly poisoning her neighbor’s pets. Tamesha Knighten, a licensed practical nurse working at Wellmed in Lakeland, was accused of intentionally poisoning the neighbor’s two cats and pregnant Chihuahua, resulting in the death of all three pets and eight puppies in the dog’s womb.
The investigation began when the couple’s two cats, Luna and Pancake, died within hours of each other, showing symptoms of choking, difficulty breathing, foaming at the mouth, and significant pain. Shortly after, their pregnant Chihuahua, Daisy, was also found deceased along with her unborn puppies.
According to detectives, the victims reported that Knighten had threatened to poison their pets if they entered her yard. On the day the pets died, they allegedly saw Knighten pacing in her yard along the fence line shared with the victims. She also allegedly yelled at the victims’ children while they were playing outside. The victims told investigators that Knighten was present when they noticed their cat acting strangely in the yard and foaming at the mouth. Knighten claimed the cat must be choking on a frog.
During the investigation, video evidence showed Knighten wearing a blue glove and holding a white foam bowl containing a substance. She claimed it was her “special seasoning” to feed animals in the area. However, chemical analysis confirmed that the pets had ingested phorate, a pesticide found in insecticides, which matched the sample from the laced canned chicken in the bowl.
Knighten denied killing her neighbor’s pets despite the evidence. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd stated, “It takes a cold-hearted person to poison and kill two cats and a pregnant dog. It’s hard to imagine how a person in the medical field could do such a thing.”
Knighten was booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of felony animal cruelty and depositing poison in a public area. This incident has left the community shocked and saddened by the heinous act against innocent animals.