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Md. Man Gets Probation For Killing Cat With BB Gun

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- A Hagerstown man who killed one of his neighbor's 17 cats with a BB gun has been fined $300 after pleading guilty to animal cruelty.

Patrick King, 48, also was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation Wednesday in Washington County District Court.

A 60-day jail term was suspended.

King's lawyer says her client only meant to scare away the animal when he saw it sitting on a back fence.

King told police that the owners allowed their cats to roam the neighborhood, causing damage to plants and upsetting dogs.

He also pleaded guilty to discharging a BB gun within city limits. The judge ordered him to forfeit the gun.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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