Pretrial hearing scheduled for Mabel man charged in animal cruelty case

(ABC 6 News) — A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for a Mabel man charged in an animal cruelty case.

According to court documents, Owen Rasmussen, 68, is charged with two counts of animal mistreatment. The charges stem from a September 12 incident in which Rasmussen allegedly attempted to drown and then buried a kitten.

Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jason Harmening was dispatched to the Cherrywood Estates property in Mabel for a report of animal cruelty. Harmening spoke to two witnesses: LH and NB.

A court document states that the apartment manager consented to keeping kittens on the property until they were old enough to give away.

LH claimed she heard Rasmussen turn on the water outside the apartment complex and watched him fill a small bucket with water and then walk inside the shed where the newborn kittens were bedding with the adult female cat.

LH then told NB what she saw at which point NB went to the shed and found Rasmussen inside with the bucket of water and a tool similar to a pitchfork inside the bucket.

NB noticed a gray kitten was missing and asked where it was. Rasmussen denied putting it in the water bucket and took the bucket behind the shed.

Later on, LH and NB allegedly heard a kitten crying and discovered it partially buried behind the shed.

Rasmussen’s pretrial hearing is scheduled for January 7, 2025 which will take place over Zoom at 9:15 a.m.