A man from Reno has been charged with animal cruelty after reportedly abusing a kitten at a bank ATM in San Francisco, as announced by prosecutors on Friday.
William Olson, 33, faces charges related to killing, seriously injuring, or mistreating an animal, as well as overworking or overloading an animal and resisting an officer, according to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
Olson’s court appearance is scheduled for Monday at 1:30 p.m.
Critics argue that a recent California Supreme Court decision to limit pretrial detention to violent human crimes has resulted in the quick release of individuals accused of severe animal abuse, raising concerns about a perceived leniency in the justice system.
This situation is also at odds with federal law. The PACT Act of 2019, signed by President Trump, classified severe animal cruelty as a federal felony.
Due to state restrictions on pretrial detention, Olson’s potential prison sentence is contingent on local prosecutors achieving a felony conviction in the upcoming trial.
Authorities allege that Olson entered a bank ATM location on Market Street around 2 a.m. on July 1 with a small kitten, where he reportedly tortured and killed the animal before leaving the scene with it.
This act prompted an investigation by the San Francisco Animal Care and Control and the police, who later found Olson at a hotel on Fell Street.
When officers executed a search warrant on July 14, a drone from a Real Time Investigation Center noted Olson escaping from his hotel room onto a nearby rooftop.
He was eventually apprehended after a standoff, which required assistance from the San Francisco Fire Department to reach him safely.
Olson was booked into San Francisco County Jail on the animal cruelty and resisting arrest charges but was promptly released under the state’s pretrial detention guidelines.
The investigation is ongoing.
