A Santa Rosa County jury found a local man guilty of aggravated animal cruelty after prosecutors said he tortured a kitten to death and investigators linked him to the deaths of two other family pets.
State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden announced Monday that a jury convicted Gunner Cole Bush on June 19 following a trial in Santa Rosa County.
Bush is scheduled to be sentenced before Circuit Judge Clifton Drake on July 27.
According to prosecutors, the case stems from an incident that occurred during the early morning hours of Dec. 9, 2023.
Investigators said Bush had moved into the home of his then-girlfriend and her family during the summer of 2023. While he lived there, two family cats disappeared. One of the animals had reportedly been part of the family for five years.
Prosecutors said Bush was the last person seen with one of the missing cats.
Following the death of a kitten on Dec. 9, family members discovered the remains of the two previously missing cats nearby, according to court records and testimony presented during the trial.
Investigators also recovered a tool that prosecutors said was used to mutilate the kitten. The tool was found in Bush’s truck.
The investigation was conducted by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Rosa County Animal Services.
The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine provided forensic assistance in the case. According to prosecutors, veterinary experts performed DNA analysis on the tool recovered during the investigation and conducted a necropsy on the deceased kitten.
Assistant State Attorney Patrick King prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of the State Attorney for Florida’s First Judicial Circuit.
Bush remains scheduled for sentencing on July 27, where he could learn the penalties he will face following the jury’s verdict.
