You remember Kristen Lindsey — she’s the Texas vet who shot a cat with a bow and arrow, then posted a picture of herself and her kill on Facebook, boasting about her insane deed:
Public outcry was swift, and Lindsey quickly lost her job at Washington Animal Clinic and was shamed by other vets, including Texas Veterinary Medical Association and the school where Lindsey earned her doctorate of veterinary medicine, with both releasing statements condemning the young vet.
And yet, despite that photo, which her mother admits taking, and Lindsey’s own words where she admits to doing the the deed — along with later Facebook comments where she laughs off the controversy (“No I did not lose my job. Lol. Psshh. Like someone would get rid of me. I’m awesome!”) — the Austin County grand jury has just come down with the news that there’s “insufficient proof” to charge Lindsey with a crime.
Insufficient proof? How the heck?
Here’s how this travesty of justice played out, according to KHOU.
First, the Austin County Sheriff’s Office says it received an “unsworn hearsay report” that Lindsey was acting to protect her pets from a “potentially rabid stray cat.”
Huh. This is the first we’ve heard of a rabid cat. You’d think the vet might have brought this up when her world blew up in April. Also: Never underestimate the power of an “unsworn hearsay report.” The Austin County grand jury certainly doesn’t.
Further: Investigators say they were not able to determine where or when the incident took place — despite the Facebook post, despite her mom later commenting on Facebook that Lindsey was in their yard and that she took the picture — and thus weren’t able to get a search warrant to probe for more evidence. Way to investigate, investigators.
And lastly, well, this is crazy: Investigators say they couldn’t get any “usable evidence” from Facebook, despite submitting subpoenas, because Lindsey deleted her account before the sheriff’s office was on the case.
What? We got the photo from Facebook. Everybody got the photo from Facebook. The photo from Facebook is on every news story about the case.
We understand that the legal system is an intricate, delicate beast, but we also understand what is staring everybody in the face. We hope investigators can regroup and figure this one out.
“It is absolutely outrageous that she is walking free more than two months later,” said one protestor in front of the courthouse. “Nothing has been done to her.”
Via KHOU
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