STRYKER CAT ISSUE STILL OPEN

The inves­ti­ga­tion into stray cats in Stryker con­tin­ues.

Mayor Dan Hughes read a pre­pared state­ment at Stryker Vil­lage Council’s reg­u­lar meet­ing Mon­day, ask­ing res­i­dents to allow time for the jus­tice sys­tem to sort out alle­ga­tions that stray cats were dis­posed of in an inhu­mane man­ner by mem­bers of the police depart­ment.

The Bryan Times reports that Hughes said nei­ther the cur­rent vil­lage mayor’s office, nor the vil­lage coun­cil, ever gave or approved a direc­tive to trap, then shoot or drown stray or feral cats.

Hughes also denied rumors that the Williams County Humane Soci­ety offered assis­tance with the cat prob­lem before the alleged inci­dent.

The mat­ter was inves­ti­gated by the Ful­ton County Sheriff’s Office in March because Williams County Sher­iff Steve Towns asked that the case be trans­fered due to the con­flict of inter­est in inves­ti­gat­ing a county depart­ment. The case was sent to Bryan Munic­i­pal Court Pros­e­cu­tor Rhonda Fisher on March 20.

The case is report­edly in the process of being sent to a spe­cial pros­e­cu­tor and no crim­i­nal charges have been filed.