Copperopolis, CA…On March 10, 2022, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office became aware of a video that was circulating on the internet/social media which depicted a cat being inhumanely killed. The video had been distributed to the owner of the cat who then contacted law enforcement. The owner of the cat had been searching for the animal for over a week and had posted flyers throughout his community.

Although no humans were shown in the video, information was provided to suggest that Colton Fontes (age 19 of Copperopolis) was responsible for the crime.

Deputies contacted Fontes who initially denied being responsible for the killing of the cat, however, during this contact, Deputies noticed that a portion of Fontes’s residence was identical in appearance to an area shown in the video. Fontes was not arrested on this date due to further investigation being conducted by the Deputies.

On March 11, 2022, after the continued investigation, Fontes was arrested and subsequently admitted to killing the cat. The weapon used during the incident was also recovered. The Deputy determined that no legal justification existed for killing the cat. Fontes was transported to the Calaveras County Jail where he was booked on charges of felony 597(A) P.C. Animal Cruelty. He is currently being held with a bail of $65,000.00.