19-year-old enters guilty plea for animal killings at Oklahoma City pet store
By Jonathan Greco
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OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) — A 19-year-old man charged after animals were killed at an Oklahoma City pet store entered a guilty plea and will be sentenced at the beginning of next year.
Online records show that Christopher Jameson must complete an in-custody regimented inmate discipline program and then in-patient mental health treatment.
If he successfully completes the program and treatment, sentencing will be deferred for seven years. The online records show that if not, this will be a blind plea deal to the court.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 6, 2024.
The Oklahoma City Police Department posted a Facebook picture on July 25 of two people they were searching for in connection with animals being killed at a Petland near Memorial Road and Pennsylvania Avenue on July 13.
Police said a parakeet and bunny were killed in their cages, and a hamster and guinea pig were removed from their enclosures. The hamster was killed in the parking lot, and the guinea pig’s body was found at Mitch Park in Edmond.
A police report also said the two played with a puppy and then went toward the caged animals. Investigators said that’s when Jameson killed the parakeet and bunny, while staff said the girl acted as a “lookout.”
Police said Jameson then grabbed a hamster and a guinea pig before leaving the store. Staff discovered the hamster dead in the parking lot the next day, but the guinea pig was never found.
The Oklahoma City Police Department later deleted the social media post after saying the people had been identified following a rush of tips from the public.
Court documents filed on July 28 state that the female seen in the picture called police and Oklahoma City Animal Welfare and said she was one of the two people in the photo. The documents also state that she told investigators she was unaware any animals were killed until the Oklahoma City Police Department’s Facebook post.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Jameson on July 28, and he turned himself in the next day. He was later charged with animal cruelty and offenses pertaining to animals and larceny of merchandise from a retailer.
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