Canton Reporter

Viral video shared on social media of a woman with "fur on her lips and blood on her hands" while hunched over a mutilated cat is from the Aug. 16 arrest of a Canton, Ohio woman, according to police records obtained by Canton Reporter through a Freedom of Information Act request.  

Allexis Telia Ferrell, 27, was arrested for misdemeanor offenses including cruelty to animals and disorderly conduct. A third offense—prohibitions concerning companion animals—can result in felony charges. Ferrell is currently being held with a $100,000 bail amount and will next appear for a competency hearing on Oct. 15 in Stark County Common Pleas Court. 

Police body camera footage shows the moment when Canton officers made contact with Ferrell shortly after neighbors called 9-1-1 to report her for killing and eating a cat in a resident's driveway. 

Ferrell allegedly smashed the cat's head with her foot and then began to eat it, according to witnesses. 

Video shows police arresting Ferrell and asking bystanders questions. 

"Did you see her eating it? She was eating it?” the police officer asked. 

“Yes. She was,” the bystander said. 

Above: Screenshot from Canton Police Department body cam footage showing Ferrell hunched over the dead cat. 

The incident has been scrutinized in the aftermath of the Sept. 10 debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in which Trump claimed there have been reports of Haitian immigrants in Springfield being responsible for the disappearance of local residents' pets. 

Ferrell's arrest, according to police, is unrelated. 

While accounts of missing pets in Springfield exist, city officials maintain that no such allegations have been confirmed.

In the last few years, Springfield has seen influx of approximately 15,000 to 20,000 Haitian immigrants through the Biden-Harris Administration's Humanitarian Parole Program.  

According to WBNS, Gov. Mike DeWine acknowledged Springfield's challenges with the recent surge of Haitian immigrants.

DeWine just last week announced a $2.5 million plan to address "significant stress" on Springfield's healthcare system and ongoing public safety concerns amid the influx of Haitian immigrants to the city. 

"I want the people of Springfield and Clark County to know that as we move forward, we will continue to do everything we can to help the community deal with this surge of migrants," said Governor DeWine in a press release announcing the new measures. "The federal government has not demonstrated that they have any kind of plan to deal with the issue. We will not walk away."

Above: Screen capture of the moment when Canton Police body cam footage shows officers ordering Ferrell to open her mouth for an evidentiary photograph after witnessing her eating the cat's carcass in a resident's driveway.