Oct 11, 2016 2 min read

A Canonsburg man was charged Tuesday by borough police with animal cruelty for allegedly leaving food that was laced with antifreeze outside for cats and other animals in his neighborhood.

James DeBaker, 71, of 611 Marple Ave., is accused of putting out tainted food for cats between May and September.

Detective Michael Ledger said DeBaker reportedly was complaining to animal control officer Kym Secreet and a county humane officer about his neighbor’s cats coming onto his property. Since neither one of them handles cats for the borough, DeBaker was referred to the captain of the Canonsburg Cat Committee. The captain told Ledger she investigated DeBaker’s complaints but determined they were unfounded after reportedly finding no cat hair or odor of urine. She also told the detective DeBaker declined to accept repellents she offered him free of charge.

Police accompanied humane Officer Glen Thomson to DeBaker’s home Sept. 22 after Thomson received information something was burning in the yard and it could be the remains of cats. Police checked the area but could find no evidence of a cat, adding the area where the burning was done had recently been cleaned and neatly raked.

Thomson told Chief Al Coghill he believed DeBaker set out poisoned food and a couple of cats ate it and died. A neighbor reported two of her cats missing.

The captain of the local cat committee told Thomson she had an acquaintance who could test the food. After seeing cats eating the food, the neighbor retrieved the bowl from near the back porch of DeBaker’s home. The food was tested at Waynesburg University Forensic Sciences lab. The food was determined to have an ingredient found in antifreeze and coolant products, Ledger said.

In August, the neighbor’s son told the committee captain he was at his mother’s when his dog tried to eat food from a bowl that was in DeBaker’s yard and had a milky substance in it. That food also tested positive for antifreeze, authorities said. Later that month, six bowls of cat food on the neighbor’s back porch at 613 Marple reportedly had a similar white liquid in them. Photographs were taken of the food bowls.

DeBaker will be sent the charge by summons from the office of District Judge David Mark.