Second Teen Charged With Animal Abuse After MySpace Posting

INDIANAPOLIS -- Prosecutors charged two 14-year-old girls with animal cruelty after they posted a video to their online journal that showed the teenagers kicking a cat.

6News' Jack Rinehart first reported an initial arrest last week.

The two-minute video, posted on MySpace.com, showed the girls shoving and kicking the ginger-colored cat, named Stump, which was wrapped in plastic.

The video was discovered by the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, according to charging documents.

"The cat was at the mercy of these girls and unable to defend itself," Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi said Thursday.

The girls' names were not released. Both were released to their mothers pending a June 13 court date.

"Stump is 19 pounds, which is overweight, but is otherwise healthy," said Media Wilson, a spokeswoman for Animal Care & Control. "He suffered no lasting damage as a result of the alleged abuse."

After discovering the video, animal control officers removed the cat and two other pets from the home. The cat might be returned to its owner, Wilson said.

MySpace.com -- a social networking hub with more 72 million members -- allows users to post searchable profiles that can include photos of themselves and such details as what music they like.

The two girls have been barred from having contact with each other or animals.