A suspect was arrested Saturday in connection with the animal cruelty case that occurred in Benton in late May.
John Hunter Shoptaw, 28, of Little Rock, was taken into custody and charged with Aggravated Cruelty to a Cat (Class D Felony); Unauthorized Use of Another Person’s Property to Facilitate Certain Crimes (Class B Felony), and a variety of misdemeanor charges related to previous incidents.
A deceased cat was found in a Benton business parking lot and reported on May 25. Investigators were able to positively identify Shoptaw, and an arrest warrant was active as of June 1.
Should anyone have further information to contribute to this incident, please call 501-776-5947. Anonymous messages may also be sent via text to 847411 with the keyword BENTONPD in the body of the message or via the BNPD app. Visit www.bentonpolice.org for general department information.
