FRANKFORT, Ind. -- Police say the Clinton County prosecutor will soon consider whether to file charges in the beating of an opossum.

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Police Plan To Pursue Case

Three people used rocks to pound the animal (pictured, left) early Wednesday on a road about a block away from the Clinton County courthouse (pictured, below), police said.

A woman told police about the beating, and an officer fatally shot the animal after seeing that it was severely wounded, police said.

Frankfort police said they're taking the matter seriously because studies have shown cruelty to animals can progress to violent acts against humans.

Other progressions also are possible, Deputy Chief Jeff Danner said.

"If they're willing to beat a poor, defenseless animal with rocks, what's to say that they couldn't progress into domesticated animals such as cats and dogs?" Danner told RTV6's Sy Jenkins Thursday.

Police say they have spoken with the suspects, but their names were not available.

Two officers took pictures of the opossum for use as possible court evidence, police said.

In an interview with police Thursday, one of the suspects said she and the two others threw items at the opossum because they wanted to remove it from the road, authorities said.

Jenkins spoke to some residents outside the courthouse Thursday. Some said they agreed with police that the matter was serious.

"I definitely believe they should be punished for it," said one person, Alberta Barker.

Others said the matter wasn't worth police attention.

"An opossum is basically a rodent anyway," Dick Cole said. "I live on the farm, of course, and we kill them out there because they're in the barn and whatever."

The case will be given to the Clinton County prosecutor in a couple of days, police said.