Florida man killed kittens with bleach and blow dryer to punish daughter: police

A Florida man faces aggravated animal-cruelty charges after deputies said he killed two kittens and injured another as a form of punishment for his teenage daughter.

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According to information provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a Fort Myers home after receiving reports that a man was trying to drown and strike a 2-month-old kitten named Luna.

Witnesses identified the suspect as David Charette Jr., and they told deputies that he would abuse and kill the family’s kittens in front of his teenage daughter as a form of punishment when she would “act up.”

The sheriff’s office said that throughout the investigation, detectives learned that Charette Jr. had killed two kittens in the past year.

In June, he is accused of smothering a 1-month-old kitten with a rag soaked in bleach.

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In a different incident, he’s accused of killing a 3-month-old kitten by burning it with a blow dryer, according to the sheriff’s office.

Investigators learned that both kittens were buried in the backyard, but the sheriff’s office said that only one of them was recovered during a search of the property.

Luna was taken to an animal hospital, where she received treatment and is recovering.

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This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.