Police make arrests in cat killing Police make arrests in cat killing (February 25, 2005)

Tip leads police to four suspects

An 18-year-old Pleasanton man has been charged with one count of felony animal cruelty for his part in the killing and hanging of a family cat the morning of Jan. 17.

Police said that School Resource Officer Michael Steiner interviewed 18-year-old John Van De Roovaart last Thursday after following up on a tip. Information from the interview led Steiner to arrest Van De Roovaart, who was booked into Santa Rita Jail and charged the following day.

Police also arrested two male juveniles for their part in the killing, which took place on a school holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The two are students at Foothill High School, said Sgt. Brian Laurence.

A fourth male, 18, has been implicated and the District Attorney's Office will seek a complaint against him, according to police reports. His name was not released.

The Pleasanton Weekly ran a story Feb. 11 about two families who were each offering $500 to anyone who could give information to the police that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the cat killers.

"The offer of the reward was a factor in our tip," said Laurence. The story also started people talking, which made it helpful for the school resource officer, he said.

Two of the subjects went out looking for a cat, according to police reports, and found Xeno, an 18-year-old family pet. They brought the cat back to Van De Roovaart's residence, where it was killed and then hung from the railroad trestle on Sunol Boulevard.

Police believe they have identified all the subjects involved. -Dolores Fox Ciardelli

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