A welfare check on Bigner Road in Beaumont turned into a felony arrest Thursday evening after police say 45-year-old Heather Broussard strangled a kitten during a struggle with officers, breaking its neck so severely that animal control had to euthanize the animal to end its suffering. Broussard now faces a third-degree felony charge of cruelty to a non-livestock animal, along with two misdemeanor charges tied to her resistance during the arrest.
According to KFDM, Beaumont police were dispatched at 7:49 p.m. Thursday to the 5300 block of Bigner Road for a welfare check after Broussard's boyfriend told dispatchers she had attempted to harm herself. The boyfriend had followed Broussard as she walked northbound on Bigner Road and took a firearm away from her before officers arrived, per the station's report.
When a Beaumont police officer arrived, he saw Broussard walking along the roadway and activated his patrol unit's emergency lights, sounding the siren as he approached, the outlet's report states. The officer ordered Broussard to stop, but she continued walking away from him. When he grabbed her wrist, she jerked away from his grasp, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by KFDM, prompting officers to take her to the ground and restrain her in handcuffs.
Kitten Found With Broken Neck at the Scene
It was during that physical struggle that Broussard is accused of holding a small kitten by its neck and squeezing tightly, using force during the confrontation with officers, the arrest affidavit alleges. The document states that Broussard intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or with criminal negligence tortured, cruelly killed or seriously injured the kitten, per the arrest affidavit.
Beaumont Animal Control was called to the scene, where officer Kim Nevils determined the kitten's neck had been broken. The kitten was found with an open mouth, protruding tongue and bulging eyes, according to the affidavit cited by the same account. Nevils and her colleagues at Beaumont Animal Care, an independent municipal department that reports to the assistant city manager rather than to the police department, made the decision to euthanize the kitten to end its suffering, according to the City of Beaumont.
The city's animal shelter typically holds stray animals for three to five business days before they become eligible for adoption, rescue or euthanasia, though immediate intervention occurs for animals suffering extreme distress, per the City of Beaumont. The department has faced heavy caseloads recently; in July, Beaumont Animal Care reached full shelter capacity after seizing 42 animals from a residence during a major neglect and hoarding investigation, according to a KFDM News Facebook post.
Bond Set at $15,000 Total on Three Charges
Broussard was taken to Baptist Hospital for medical clearance before being transported to Jefferson County Jail, where she was booked and released to jail staff, KFDM's report notes. Magistrate Marc DeRouen, who has handled other recent local felony cases stemming from emergency response calls, provided the arrest affidavit reviewed by the outlet.
She faces a third-degree felony charge of cruelty to a non-livestock animal with bond set at $10,000, a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, search or transport with bond set at $2,500, and a misdemeanor charge of evading arrest or detention also with bond set at $2,500 — bringing her total bond to $15,000, per the same account. Broussard is accused of fleeing from an officer attempting to lawfully detain or arrest her and using force to prevent the arrest.
What Texas Law Says About the Charges
Under Texas Penal Code § 12.34, a third-degree felony conviction like the animal cruelty charge carries a sentencing range of two to 10 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and a fine of up to $10,000, according to FindLaw. That penalty could climb further under Texas Penal Code § 12.42, which allows a third-degree felony to be enhanced to a second-degree felony carrying two to 20 years in prison if a defendant has a prior sequential felony conviction, according to Versus Texas.
The resisting arrest charge, a Class A misdemeanor under Texas Penal Code § 38.03, is punishable by up to one year in county jail and a maximum fine of $4,000, per FindLaw. Notably, Texas Penal Code § 38.03(b) explicitly states that it is no legal defense to a resisting arrest charge that the officer's underlying attempt to detain or arrest a suspect was unlawful, FindLaw notes.
Texas first elevated egregious animal cruelty from a misdemeanor to a felony offense in September 2001 under what became known as “Loco's Law,” and lawmakers later enhanced intentional animal torture and killing to a third-degree felony in 2017, according to a report shared on the SPCA of Texas Facebook page.
The charges against Broussard remain allegations at this stage, and the case is in its early stages within the Jefferson County court system. Beaumont's Patrol Division maintains an authorized strength of 188 officers to provide round-the-clock service to the city's roughly 115,000 residents, per the City of Beaumont.
