Get notified by email when this case is updated.
Written by: E. George
Published June 10, 2024 @ 5:30 PM ET
Warning: The following report describes alleged violence against animals.
CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. – A Thunderbolt Police officer arrested a woman on May 3, 2024, after encountering a strange situation during his patrol. In the area of Bonaventure Road, he observed Kelly Jean Obrien walking in the middle of the street, staring at a house undergoing construction.
Obrien wore cargo shorts, an orange life preserver, a United States Coast Guard vest, and a USCG baseball cap. She told the officer she worked for Coast Guard Intelligence and was looking for trip wires and taking photographs for the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
When the officer asked about the flare gun dangling from a string around her waist, she said she needed it because someone had let three rabid kittens loose. She stated, “Yeah, I have two of them in my freezer that have rabies.”
She explained that she had been trapping the cats. She said she knew they had rabies because “nothing would touch their bodies.” She added that when she shined a light in “the black one’s eyes, it turned 18 different colors.”
The officer requested that Chatham Emergency Services respond and evaluate Obrien mentally. They failed to find grounds to commit her, and she refused to go voluntarily.
After the evaluation, the officer asked how she caught the cats in her freezer. She said that she trapped them in her yard and then filled a trash can with water and drowned them.
The officer noted that she spoke about drowning and killing the cats without any signs of remorse. She showed the officer the trash can, and he observed several pieces of fur at the top of the water.
Next, she showed him the freezer, where he saw two grocery bags containing animals. He detained and placed her in the rear seat of his patrol vehicle.
The officer contacted Chatham County Animal Services and asked them to assist; however, an animal control officer said that since Thunderbolt Police were conducting the investigation, they would not respond. She told the police officer he could “dispose of the animals” himself.
Obrien was transported to the Chatham County Detention Center, where she was charged with aggravated animal cruelty. This case is pending in court.
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On 05/03/2024 at around 0128 hours I was patrolling the area of Bonaventure Rd., when I found a white female walking in the middle of the road in front of [REDACTED BY AGENCY]. I also noticed a flashlight in the middle of the road, near where the female was standing. The female was staring across the street at a house that is under construction. For safety reasons, I stopped my police vehicle and activated my emergency lights.
I spoke with the female, later identified as Kelly O’Brien, and asked her what was going on. O’Brien responded by telling me she was looking for trip wires on the property and taking pictures for Coast Guard Axillary. O’Brien was dressed in cargo shorts, and was wearing a Coast Guard ball cap, as well as an orange life preserver and vest that read USCG on the back. She stated that she worked for Coast Guard Intelligence. I observed a flashlight laying in the middle of the road, and inquired about it. She told me that it ran out of batteries.
I noticed that O’Brien had a flare gun dangling from a string wrapped around her waist, and commented about it. She told me that she needed it because [REDACTED] let 3 rabid kittens loose today. I confirmed that [REDACTED] let 3 kittens loose today and O’Brien responded, “yeah, I have two of them in my freezer that have rabies”. O’Brien continued and explained that she was trapping the cats because they had rabies. She told me she knew they had rabies because “nothing woud touch their bodies”. She also said that when she put her light in the black one’s eyes, it turned 18 different colors.
I requested Chatham EMS to respond for a mental health evaluation. EMS arrived and conducted an evaluation on O’Brien, but they did not find any grounds to commit her, and she refused to go voluntarily.
After EMS had completed their evaluation of O’Brien, I asked her how she came about the cats in her freezer. O’Brien replied, “The white one, I caught in my trap in my yard, cuz it came over right here, and I caught him, and I fill up my trash can full of water, and just threw the whole thing in there.”. I asked if the cat was alive, to which O’Brien answered, “Yeah, drown him.”. O’Brien made this statement in a very factual, non remorseful manner. At that point I detained O’Brien and explained that I needed her to show me these cats, so animal control could come get them. She responded, “Exactly”.
While I was escorting O’Brien to her home, I had her show me the can she used to drown the cats in. She took me to the left side of the house, where a large trash receptacle was located. I lifted the lid and saw that the receptacle was filled nearly to the top with water. There was several pieces of fur at the top of the water. I escorted O’Brien into her home, where she took me to the rear of the home where a chest style freezer was located.
I opened the freezer and found two re-usable grocery bags, that appeared to contain an animal, as I could see fur from the top of the bags. I returned to my police vehicle where I placed O’Brien in the back seat. I explained to her that she had already given me permission to see the cats, and asked her if she would give me permission to photograph them. She told me she did not have any issues with that.
I contacted Chatham County Animal Services and spoke with Ofc. Smalls. She informed me that since Thunderbolt Police was conducting the investigation, that Animal Services would not respond. She also said that we could dispose of the animals ourselves. O’Brien’s adult niece was staying with her, and I explained the situation to her. I asked if she would dispose of the remains, and she said she would.
O’Brien was charged with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals (16-12-4D), She was transported and booked into the Chatham County Detention Center.
[End of Narrative]