Cops: Man who left cat on cold night arrested

MIDDLETOWN — A Norwich man was charged with animal cruelty after he allegedly abandoned his cat at a Middletown sports field on a cold late January night, police said.

Thomas Bernier, 65, of Washington Street, Norwich, was identified as the man seen on video surveillance cameras leaving the cat in a cage near the Sports Hall of Fame building at Palmer Field at around 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 29, reports said.

Police began investigating after a parks and recreation employee found the cat the next morning.

The temperature in Middletown overnight on Jan. 29 went down to 20 degrees, according to Accuweater.com.

The images of the man leaving the animal were posted on the Middletown police and Middletown Animal Control Facebook pages, police said.

On Jan. 31, a witness called to report that Bernier had unsuccessfully tried to surrender the cat to the Waterford branch of the Connecticut Humane Society on Jan. 29 and it appeared that he was the same man in the video posted on the Middletown Facebook pages, reports said.

Bernier admitted he had abandoned the cat at the playing field after being contacted by Middletown police.

He was issued a misdemeanor summons for cruelty to animals and scheduled to appear in Middletown Superior Court Feb. 12.

Contributed photo Thomas Bernier, 65, of Washington Street, Norwich, was identified as the man seen on video surveillance cameras leaving the cat in a cage near the Sports Hall of Fame building at Palmer Field around 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 29.

Contributed photo This is the cat that police said was abandoned by Thomas Bernier, 65, of Washington Street, Norwich.