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03-19-2005, 01:39 AM
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. -- He didn't get the cat out of a tree. Instead, a firefighter is accused of stealing his neighbor's cat and dumping it in the Everglades.
The black cat is doing fine. Its owner, Nancy Leonard, claims her neighbor Christopher Cortes, who is a firefighter, stole Mr. Kibbles the cat and took it where it could have been a alligator snack.
Leonard said her neighbor was upset that the cat scratched his pickup truck.
Cortes said he's not guilty. He entered a written plea Wednesday of not guilty to animal cruelty and theft charges.
Mr. Kibbles returned home 13 days after he disappeared Feb. 5.
The black cat is doing fine. Its owner, Nancy Leonard, claims her neighbor Christopher Cortes, who is a firefighter, stole Mr. Kibbles the cat and took it where it could have been a alligator snack.
Leonard said her neighbor was upset that the cat scratched his pickup truck.
Cortes said he's not guilty. He entered a written plea Wednesday of not guilty to animal cruelty and theft charges.
Mr. Kibbles returned home 13 days after he disappeared Feb. 5.