OAK HILL, Fla. – A cat named Stanley is expected to be OK after an Oak Hill woman threw the animal into a river while it was locked inside a crate, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrested Christina Thistle, 53, on Thursday at a mobile home park in Oak Hill.
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Investigators said Thistle and her ex-boyfriend were in an argument about the man not moving out of their home fast enough after their relationship ended.
The man told investigators that Thistle picked up the crate holding a 9-month-old cat and threw it into the Intercoastal Waterway, according to an arrest report. The man then jumped into the water to rescue Stanley, according to deputies. Investigators said when they arrived, the man was wet and had the cat wrapped in a towel.
Thistle denied throwing the cat into the water, according to deputies.
She was arrested on a charge of animal cruelty. While in custody, deputies said Thistle demanded to be taken to jail so she could “make a phone call, bond out and murder” her ex-boyfriend.
Records show the woman has several domestic violence charges on her criminal record.
Following the threat, Thistle also faces a charge of simple assault. She was being held in the Volusia County jail without bond.