A Florida woman was arrested on animal cruelty charges and other counts after allegedly killing another woman’s pet spider by drowning it in a fizzy drink.
Ilena Rasmussen, 43, faces counts of animal cruelty and petty theft after ending the life of a jumping spider in a situation that resulted in her being charged on July 29.
According to The Miami Herald, Rasmussen’s roommate was the first to notice something wrong, and potentially criminal, had occurred.
On July 15, the roommate arrived home to find her pet spider and its enclosure missing entirely.
She texted Rasmussen, who gave the roommate some shocking news.
“The defendant texted the victim admitting to drowning the jumping spider in ginger ale,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office wrote in an affidavit, according to the Herald.
Because the drowning was allegedly intentional, Rasmussen was hit with the animal cruelty charge.
The creepy crawly’s missing enclosure was answered with a petty theft charge.
This arachnid was no common house spider, it seems.
Authorities valued the pet jumping spider at $70, although no exact species identification has been offered yet. (It turns out, there are more than 6,000 species of jumping spiders.)
Rasmussen appears to be taking the situation, and the charges that go along with it, as something of a joke.
According to the New York Post, Rasmussen took to social media to make several cruel posts referencing the death of the spider.
“Are my 15 minutes up yet? I’m bored….,” Rasmussen had written in the “Intro” section of her Facebook page Wednesday morning.
Other posts include a picture of Rasmussen flashing a can of ginger ale — the deadly arm in her alleged crime.
She also posted her mugshot with a confirmation that it was her in the photo.
Rasmussen has also organized a GoFundMe to cover “legal fees for the spider drowner.”
The fundraiser, with a $1,000 goal, has only reached $35 from three donations as of Wednesday morning.
I first thought this was a joke until it was revealed it was someone’s pet and done maliciously. She deserves whatever punishment is coming her way. If the owner of the spider is the leaseholder on the shared domicile, I’d strongly suggest putting her ass out on the street.
Debra, while a spider would not be my choice of pet, I certainly agree with you that this was done maliciously. I’m sure she knew of her roommate’s feelings about her pet, and it is no different than killing your friend’s dog, cat, or bird. She needs to be fully responsible and charged accordingly. I know people who have pet spiders, snakes, lizards, etc. and can not imagine someone killing them. And Rasmussen can go suck eggs.
Yeah, I have four bunnies and a cat and I used to have a dog but it passed. I’m not into insects or rodents or reptiles but I will say that I’ve heard that spiders are actually very responsive pets. Whatever the case, you don’t touch someone’s shit and you certainly don’t kill it.
She ought to have her ass beat.
Even a pet spider didn’t deserve that.The woman that drowned should go to jail and buy her a new pet spider
Oh give me a Fng break. A spider of all things. I would have killed it too. But, I don’t think I would have left a trace of what happened to it. Keeping a spider is pretty damned stupid.
Frustrated: I’m a weird person. As I’ve gotten older, my love for animals has grown stronger. If a person has connected to an animal or insect, it does not matter what it is. If that animal or insect makes them happy, that’s all that matters. No one has the right to end it’s life. They are not judge or jury!!!!!