The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Jason Swick, pastor of Prineville Church of Christ in Prineville, Oregon, stands accused of trying to kill an innocent, harmless cat. Swick claimed the animal was a feral cat, as if that somehow justifies his violent behavior. He could cared for the cat or taken it in. Instead, he picked up a gun, shot the cat several times, and then threw the injured animal in a dumpster behind the church. Fortunately, the cat survived, but is now blind. By the way, the cat, named Pumpkin, belonged to one of his neighbors.
A Prineville church pastor who allegedly shot a neighborhood cat and placed in a church dumpster now faces a first-degree animal abuse charge.
Swick is accused of shooting a cat named Pumpkin several times at his Prineville home in early September before placing the injured animal in a dumpster at the church.
The cat survived the shooting but suffered severe facial injuries that left him permanently blind.
Swick says on his church’s profile page that he is a basketball referee and substitute teacher at Crook County High School. The Prineville Review said state records confirmed he holds an active restricted substitute teaching license.
KTVZ News earlier worked alongside the Prineville Review to investigate the incident, which sparked a protest at the church. We asked the pastor for comment, to which he did not reply. However, he posted to his Facebook page that he believed the cat was feral and had been attacking his family’s chickens. The post later was deleted, but Swick expressed remorse over what happened.
Depending on the circumstances, the charge of first-degree animal abuse can be either a Class A misdemeanor or a Class C felony, the Prineville Review reported. If convicted on the misdemeanor-level charge, Swick could be prohibited from owning any animals for up to five years under Oregon law.
A Prineville pastor is facing community backlash after allegations surfaced that he shot a neighborhood cat and placed it in a church dumpster.
On Tuesday, posts in the “Prineville Information” Facebook group claimed a local pastor shot a cat late Monday night near Bailey Street.
The cat’s owner said they confronted the pastor after the incident. According to the posts, the pastor said the cat had gotten into a chicken coop, and the injured animal was later moved to a dumpster at the church.
A group of protesters showed up at the church with signs, condemning the alleged shooting.
“You can’t go shooting guns in city limits. You’re free to have guns, but, you know, you shouldn’t be going around shooting, you know, bullets can hit somebody or kids or whatever and just do the right thing, you know, like, hey, there’s other ways to get rid of a cat, you know, like scare it off,” said protestor, Matthew Bond.
Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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