'Look at what you did': Kitten euthanized due to injuries; animal cruelty suspect arrested

• Roy Madrid, 27, is accused of a fourth-degree felony of extreme cruelty to animals, according to court records.
• The kitten was barely alive when the deputy arrived on scene, who observed the kitten appeared to be "contorted" and blood was coming from its nose.
• The defendant was incarcerated at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center on the morning of Sept. 23.

FARMINGTON — A Kirtland man is accused of animal cruelty after he allegedly threw a kitten against a rock Sept. 14. The white and gray kitten was later euthanized due to injuries it sustained — including a possible broken spine.

He is also accused of dumping the injured animal from a box onto the ground while a sheriff's deputy was interviewing him, and is accused of having thrown the same cat across a road during an earlier incident, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

Roy Madrid, 27, is accused of fourth-degree felony extreme cruelty to animals, according to court records. He did not have legal representation on Sept. 23.

A San Juan County Sheriff's Office deputy was dispatched around 10:35 a.m. on Sept. 14 to a residence on County Road 6566 in Kirtland to investigate a possible domestic violence incident.

A woman told a county dispatch employee that a kitten was maliciously injured and needed to be euthanized at the Farmington Animal Shelter, according to court documents.

The kitten was barely alive when the deputy arrived on scene. The deputy observed the kitten appeared to be "contorted," and blood was coming from its nose.

A female witness told the deputy she saw Madrid hold the kitten outside the residence, then throw it to the ground.

Madrid denied the accusation to the deputy, stating the kitten looked like it had been attacked by another animal.

The defendant allegedly threw the kitten across the street about a week earlier, when he was in an argument with a woman, according to court documents.

While Madrid was speaking to the deputy, a woman brought the kitten to the defendant and told him "look at what you did." Madrid responded by dumping the animal out of the box onto the ground, the affidavit states.

The deputy grabbed the kitten and moved its head, so it could get some air.

A relative of Madrid's took the kitten to the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter, where it was euthanized.

The next day the deputy got paperwork from the animal shelter.

An employee who euthanized the kitten told the deputy the animal had no puncture or scratch wounds or evidence of animal saliva, but had internal injuries, including a possible broken spine, according to court documents.

The defendant was incarcerated at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center on the morning of Sept. 23.

Madrid's first appearance in Aztec Magistrate Court was scheduled for the afternoon of Sept. 23.

Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.

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