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A Nevada man accused of torturing a kitten to death in San Francisco is now on the run after skipping a scheduled court appearance days after he was released from jail under California state law.
A San Francisco court issued arrest warrant for 33-year-old William Ohlson, of Reno, who failed to appear for his scheduled arraignment on Monday according to ABC7.
Police say Ohlson carried a small kitten into an ATM vestibule in the 1800 block of Market Street at around 2 a.m. on July 1 and he “violently tortured” the animal to death before leaving with its body.
The investigation began after San Francisco Animal Care and Control alerted police to the alleged abuse.
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Detectives later identified Ohlson as the suspect and tracked him to a hotel on the 100 block of Fell Street near the Civic Center.
When officers served a search warrant at the hotel on July 14, authorities said Ohlson fled, leading officers on a chase that ended on the roof of an adjacent building. Police drones were used during the search before officers ultimately took him into custody.
He was booked into San Francisco County Jail on charges including animal abuse and resisting arrest before being released the following day pending his court appearance.
Critics argue a California Supreme Court ruling limiting pretrial detention largely to cases involving violence directed at people contributed to Ohlson’s release pending trial, prompting renewed criticism of what they describe as the state’s soft-on-crime approach.
The state’s framework differs from federal law. The Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, signed by President Trump in 2019, made certain acts of extreme animal cruelty a federal felony.
Under California law, any significant prison sentence for Ohlson would depend on local prosecutors securing a felony conviction if the case proceeds to trial.
Authorities are now seeking Ohlson after he failed to appear for Monday’s scheduled arraignment.
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