HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — The Chesterfield man accused of posting videos of cats in distress online to solicit money from the public appeared in court on Tuesday.
Rodney Travis Jr., 27, was arraigned on the following charges in Henrico County General District Court:
- Two counts of Class 6 Felony Animal Cruelty in violation of Virginia Code Section 3.2-6570(F), The maximum statutory penalty for each Class 6 felony is 5 years of incarceration.
- One count of Class 5 Felony Computer Fraud to Obtain Money by False Pretenses in violation of Virginia Code Section 18.2-152.3. The maximum statutory penalty for a Class 5 felony is 10 years of incarceration.
- One count of an unclassified Felony Obtaining Money by False Pretenses in violation of Virginia Code Section 18.2-178. The maximum statutory penalty for this unclassified felony is 20 years of incarceration.
The case began Thursday evening when Henrico Police received a tip from the Attorney General's Office and Chesterfield County Animal Control Officers about a potential scammer posting content of distressed cats online while attempting to collect donations from viewers.
Henrico detectives launched an investigation and, through community tips and multi-agency cooperation, located where the content was being produced, police said.
“As Commonwealth’s Attorney, I will not tolerate animal cruelty and abuse in our County,” Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor said. “I appreciate the cooperation of Chesterfield Animal Control and the Attorney General’s Office. My office will be prosecuting this matter with the assistance of Michelle Welch, Senior Assistant Attorney General, who specializes in animal abuse prosecutions. With 20 years of experience, Ms. Welch is the Director of the Animal Law Unit in the Attorney General’s Office.
Taylor told CBS 6 outside the courtroom that additional charges could be forthcoming.
"You might imagine when you have investigations like this, involving technology, computers, phones, laptops, there will be continuous examination of material and so there is a strong likelihood that there could be additional charges coming," Taylor explained.
Travis is being held without bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 26.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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