Bluffton Building Safety Dir. Suspended for Killing Kitten
Bluffton Today
Published: April 23, 2008
Updated: December 11, 2008
Published: April 23, 2008
Updated: December 11, 2008
Bluffton's building safety director was suspended for two weeks after being cited for killing a kitten on April 15, town officials said Tuesday.
According to a Bluffton Police report, Frank Hodge, shot and killed a 6-month-old kitten named Mud Pie. The kitten’s owner left Mud Pie on the front porch of her Verdier Cove Road home around noon to answer the phone when she heard three popping sounds. She ran outside and found her kitten dead from two gunshots, a report stated. Bluffton Police Chief David McAllister referred all questions to Bluffton Town Manager Bill Workman.
Workman said police charged Hodge with firing a gun within town limits and malicious injury to personal property — both misdemeanors — and was ordered to pay a fine, which was taken care of on Tuesday. He was cited and released. Workman suspended Hodge without pay for two weeks, which he is currently serving. Workman did not know the amount of the fine. A message left at Hodge’s home Tuesday night was not returned.
Palmetto Animal League President Amy Campanini said the punishment does not reflect the magnitude of the crime. “In the age of animal cruelty, this isn’t sending a good message,” Campanini said. “A slap on the wrist is not a good sign.” Hodge was hired by the town on Nov. 12. He retired from his position of building official with the Town of Hilton Head Island in late 2007.
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