LOP teen charged with felony for killing possum

A 19-year-old Lake of the Pines man faces an upcoming court date after he allegedly videotaped himself killing an opossum and posted it on the Internet. Carter Livingston was charged last week with a felony count of animal cruelty and is set to appear in Nevada County Superior Court for a Sept. 20 arraignment, according to Clifford Newell, Nevada County's district attorney. Livingston's tape shows the teen hacking at a live possum 44 times with a meat cleaver in front of what appear to be his siblings, according to Candice Eley, spokeswoman for the San Diego Humane Society and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. His actions have gained national media attention about both the severity of the alleged crime and his demeanor during it. A friend reportedly found the video on Livingston's Facebook page and alerted the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA."His siblings, you can hear their protests, while he seems relatively calm," Eley said. "He's narrating his actions, asking the person holding the camera, 'Are you getting this?'"Eley added that video evidence such as the one in this case is rare. She said sometimes bystanders manage to catch alleged mistreatment or violence on video but rarely does the offender document their actions and put them on display. "This is the first time in our recent history that we have had one suspect videotape himself and share that video with friends and family," Eley said. Locally, Placer County animal welfare workers say the case is alarming.Alexa DalPino, president of the Humane Society of the Sierra Foothills, said Livingston's actions raise a red flag because of the connection many in the animal world and law enforcement see between violence toward animals and then possibly later, humans."This is extreme and disturbing," DalPino said Tuesday. "In part because there is the link between animal abuse and violence toward people. That's part of why we get so concerned in any case of abuse." Newell said Livingston possibly faces up to three years in prison if convicted. He said Tuesday that his office does prosecute animal cruelty cases that usually involve a neglectful owner. "This one does stand out a little bit because of the apparent callousness of Mr. Livingston's actions," Newell said. Mike Winters, program manager of Placer County Animal Services, said his office usually refers about a dozen possible animal cruelty cases to the Placer County District Attorney's Office a year.About two to three end up in court, Winters said. He said those cases typically encompass neglect but sometimes include intentional harm to an animal. Winters said last year one case involved a man shooting and then killing his neighbor's dog. The man claimed the dog was attacking his wife. However, Winters said evidence showed the dog was running away at the time he was shot. The man was convicted and ordered to pay restitution, Winters said. Winters said in a separate case, a couple was ordered to pay restitution after they were convicted of neglect-related charges for housing about 40 Afghan hounds in their country home. About two-thirds of the Animal Control Office's cases are neglect cases and the owner is usually ignorant of proper care, Winters said. In those cases, animal control officers try to work with the owner to get the animal the proper care."If it's a matter of ignorance or neglect, in many cases we get the owner to surrender the animal because perhaps they had no business owning it," Winters said "In the case of willful, malicious harming of an animal, we make sure we pursue it as much as we can and then get it to the District Attorney's Office."Eley said a friend or acquaintance of Livingston's tipped off the San Diego office when they watched the video, which was posted on Livingston's Facebook page. The friend thought that the family still lived in Vista, a city in San Diego County, but investigators discovered the Livingston's had moved to Lake of the Pines about a year ago.Eley said the office received the tip June 4 and notified Nevada County Animal Control June 17. She said the office has had no prior interactions with Livingston or his family.Attempts to reach Carter Livingston or his family were unsuccessful as of press time. Eley said the San Diego division of the SPCA is pleased that law enforcement is getting involved in animal torture cases such as this one. "Animal cruelty is against the law and people who commit these crimes should be held accountable for them," Eley said. Reach Jenifer Gee at jeniferg@goldcountrymedia.com. ----------Placer County has had recent animal abuse cases that were tried in court. Others are still outstanding. - On July 12, a Penryn couple reported that their donkey, Betsy, was injured when an unknown suspect sprayed caustic chemicals on her. The Humane Society of the Sierra Foothills has offered a $3,000 reward - In February, Ryan Paul Junaid, 23, of Roseville, was sentenced to six months in jail for pleading no contest to felony animal cruelty charges after he tortured at least 10 guinea pigs. - In May 2008, Collin Lovejoy and Timothy Schulz were sentenced to time in Placer County Jail and placed on five years of probation for shooting and killing several animals in the Auburn area. ----------