Ferguson Police Department
222 S. Florissant Road, Ferguson, MO 63135
Offense / Incident Report
Report Date Type of Incident Complaint No. Case Status
06/11/2015 1034 RESISTING ARREST (M) 13-12454 Closed
SUBJECT INFORMATION
Name (Last, First, Middle, Suffix) Race Sex DOB Age SSN
CUDDLEBOTTOMS, MR. BLACK MALE 05/22/2007 8 NONE
ADDRESS
Type Street Address City State ZIP Country
HOME 2630 CADDIEFIELD RD. #3 FERGUSON MO 63136 USA
Drivers License Type State Expires Marital Status Ethnicity
NONE N/A N/A N/A N/A Maine Coon
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Height Weight Build Skin Color Complexion
16 in. 24 lbs. MUSCULAR UNKNOWN (FUR COVERED) DARK
Hair Hair Length Hair Style
BLACK MEDIUM SOFT AND SILKY
SHORTER ON HEAD AND SHOULDERS
LONGER ON STOMACH AND FLANKS
LION-LIKE RUFF AROUND THE NECK
Voice Teeth
MEOW-Y FELINE
Drugs
Alcohol
Suspect ID’d
Suspect Located
Suspect Near Scene
Suspect Repeat Offender
DESCRIPTION OF INCIDENT
ON 06/11/2015 AT APPROXIMATELY 1007 HOURS, WHILE ON ROUTINE PATROL SOUTH OF MALINE CREEK, I RECEIVED A CALL ABOUT A MISSING CAT NEAR THE NORTHLAND GOLF CLUB. I RESPONDED TO THAT LOCATION AND WAS MET BY THE CAT’S OWNERS WHO MADE THE ORIGINAL CALL TO DISPATCH. THEY DESCRIBED THEIR CAT AS A MATURE MALE MAINE COON WITH BLACK HAIR WHO FREQUENTLY RAN AWAY FROM HOME. AFTER SEARCHING THE AREA FOR APPROXIMATELY 27 MINUTES, I LOCATED THE SUSPECT APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET UP ON A BRANCH OF A RIVER BIRCH TREE ON THE SOUTH EAST SIDE OF THE STREET. THE OWNERS IDENTIFIED THE CAT AS THEIRS. I SUGGESTED TO THE OWNERS THAT I CONTACT THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT TO ASSIST IN THE RESCUE EFFORT BUT THEY DECLINED REQUESTING I RETRIEVE THE SUSPECT IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED TO THE CAT BY ITS NAME: MR. CUDDLEBOTTOMS. THE SUSPECT ARCHED ITS BACK, RAISED THE HAIR ALONG ITS SPINE AND STRAIGHTENED ITS TAPERED, HEAVILY FURRED TAIL AND HISSED AT ME. THE OWNERS THEN GAVE ME APPROXIMATELY THREE KITTY TREATS OF WHICH THEY IDENTIFIED AS MR. CUDDLEBOTTOMS’ FAVORITE. I IDENTIFIED MYSELF AS AN OFFICER OF THE LAW AND HELD THE TREATS IN MY OPEN PALM AND EXTENDED MY ARM TO THE SUSPECT. THE SUSPECT REPEATED THE THREATENING BEHAVIOR. AT THIS POINT, I BECAME CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF THOSE IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY. I ASKED THE OWNERS IF THE SUSPECT WAS VICIOUS. THEY REPLIED, NO. THEY IDENTIFIED THE SUSPECT AS A SWEETIE AND THE MOST CUDDLY CAT EVER. I DETERMINED THIS INFORMATION TO BE FALSE AS THE SUSPECT CONTINUED TO HARASS ME FROM ITS PERCH ON THE BRANCH. I ONCE AGAIN IDENTIFIED MYSELF AS AN OFFICER OF THE LAW AND REQUESTED THE SUSPECT BY NAME TO COME DOWN. THE SUSPECT HISSED AGAIN. I RETURNED TO MY SQUAD CAR AND DROVE IT APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET SO IT WAS POSITIONED UNDER THE TREE AND THE SUSPECT. I EXITED MY VEHICLE AND CLIMBED ONTO THE ROOF. AT THIS POINT I WAS APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET FROM THE SUSPECT. I IDENTIFIED MYSELF AS A POLICE OFFICER AGAIN AND ASKED MR. CUDDLEBOTTOMS TO COME DOWN WHILE EXTENDING MY ARMS WITH THE TREATS IN MY LEFT HAND. THE SUSPECT TOOK A FEW STEPS TOWARD ME TO WHERE I WAS ABLE TO GRAB HIM. UPON MAKING CONTACT, THE SUSPECT HISSED AND SQUIRMED IN MY ARMS. THE SUSPECT THEN SCRATCHED MY LEFT HAND. THE SCRATCH BROKE THE SKIN AND DREW BLOOD. THE INJURY CAUSED ME TO LET LOOSE MY GRASP OF MR. CUDDLEBOTTOMS WHO FELL TO THE GROUND LANDING ON HIS FEET. HE TURNED BACK AND HISSED AT ME. AT THIS POINT, DUE TO THE REPEATED THREATENING BEHAVIOR FROM THE SUSPECT AND THE SCRATCH ON MY LEFT HAND, WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY TWO CENTIMETERS LONG AND HAD A RED APPEARANCE, I DETERMINED THAT THE SUSPECT WAS DANGEROUS AND THAT I, ALONG WITH THE OWNERS AND APPROXIMATELY FIVE OTHER BYSTANDERS WERE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER. AT THIS POINT, MR. CUDDLEBOTTOMS WAS ON THE GROUND AND I STOOD ON THE ROOF OF MY SQUAD CAR. WE WERE APPROXIMATELY 15 FEET FROM EACH OTHER. I DREW MY WEAPON AND FIRED SEVEN BULLETS AT THE SUSPECT. 3 BULLETS HIT THE SUSPECT—TWO IN THE LEFT ABDOMEN AND ONE IN THE HEAD, KILLING MR. CUDDLEBOTTOMS. I KNEW IMMEDIATELY THE SUSPECT WAS DECEASED BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT OF ITS HEAD—ONLY ITS SEVERED SPINE PROTRUDED FROM ITS SHOULDERS. AT THIS POINT, I STEPPED DOWN FROM MY VEHICLE AND TENDED TO THE MORTALLY WOUNDED MR. CUDDLEBOTTOMS. I RADIOED FOR AN AMBULANCE. THE BYSTANDERS, AND ESPECIALLY THE SUSPECT’S OWNERS BEGAN TO GROW HYSTERICAL. THEY WERE CRYING AND FILMING THE SCENE WITH THEIR MOBILE PHONES. I BELIEVE IT WAS THE MALE OWNER WHO CALLED ME A MURDERER. AT THIS POINT, I BEGAN TO FEEL THREATENED BY THE OWNERS. I TURNED MY WEAPON ON THEM ASKING THEM TO REMAIN CALM. I RADIOED FOR BACK UP. I HELD THE OWNERS AND ADDITIONAL 5 BYSTANDERS AT GUN POINT FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES UNTIL THE AMBULANCE ARRIVED ALONG WITH MY BACK UP.
Reporting Officer Approving Officer
Brendan Fleming
*
David Himmel has had several run-ins with the law, none of which had anything to do with cats. An incident in 2005 involving a cantankerous police officer and a prickly judge in Tucson, Arizona led to a self-imposed restriction on ever setting foot within the city limits again. The eldest son of an attorney, all other matters have been eliminated from the records departments within the necessary jurisdictions. His experiences with the justice system helped inspire him as the head writer of the award-winning web series Greetings! From Prison. Himmel is also the author of a A Camp Story and editor in chief of Chicago Health magazine. He lives in Chicago and documents police cars parked illegally using his iPhone.