(HLNtv.com) — Police in Maine are continuing their investigation Thursday into a roughly 10-second online video that purportedly shows two girls putting a kitten into a microwave and turning it on.
The girls, both 15, are facing cruelty to animals charges after South Portland police received tips Friday suggesting that they may be students from the area.
After the disturbing video was posted on Twitter, and possibly other social media sites, police investigated and, with help from an animal control officer and a school resource officer, tracked the two girls down.
On Monday, the two 15-year-olds were issued summonses for animal cruelty. Many comments below the online video suggest that the video was staged, but Lt. Frank Clark of the South Portland Police Department told HLN, “This is not a fake video.”
The case will be handed over to a district attorney. Because the girls are minors, their names are not being released, and it is unclear whether they have an attorney. The families of both girls have been cooperating, police said.
The kitten in the video survived and was taken in by the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland. Handlers at the refuge have named her Miracle and say she’s doing just fine. They say that they will keep her until she gets a little bigger and that so many good candidates want to adopt her, they’ll have to pull the adopter’s name from a jar.
The two girls are due to go in front of a judge in November.
Video below is from skynewsofficial19 on YouTube.
WARNING: Video may be disturbing to some viewers.
