FOLEY -- A St. Cloud man faces a felony charge of animal mistreatment after allegedly trapping and killing his neighbor's cat.

Fifty-two-year-old Tim Diederichs is also charged with misdemeanor criminal damage to property and a misdemeanor for not having a trapping license.

St. Cloud Police were called to the 500 block of 2nd Street Southeast on September 9th. The caller said her neighbor had set a body trap in his yard and killed her pet cat.  The owner said her cat had been out and wandered into Diederichs' yard where it was caught in the trap and killed.

Records show Diederichs told officers that his neighbor's cats were routinely let out of the house to wander the neighborhood and he previously told the neighbor he did not want her cats on his property. Diederichs had used live traps before to catch the cats and return them to the neighbor. He was upset with the feces the cats were leaving in his garden and damaging garden plants.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Benton County, Diederichs said he was trying to catch squirrels and rabbits which are small game, but admitted to putting cat food by the trap.

His next court appearance is set for March.

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