A man carrying military tactical equipment and carrying a rifle abducted an Australian animal shelter worker on Monday, tied him up and threatened to shoot her unless she revealed “where all the cats are.”
A suspect was arrested on Tuesday when he arrived at the same shelter to claim a cat that he said was a support animal for a friend with mental health problems, according to the Australian newspaper News.com.
Tony Wittmann, 44, a former soldier, has been charged in Melbourne Magistrate’s Court with kidnapping, false imprisonment, serious burglary, armed robbery and firearm crimes related to the incident at the Lost Dogs Home in Cranbourne.
The Guardian approached the broadcasting employee – a 23-year-old woman – on Monday around 22:20 in the parking lot of the shelter by a man in camouflage clothing, a balaclava and a helmet. She believed he was a police officer and got out of her car. The man then points his gun and orders her into the shelter, where he forces her to kneel, fastens her hands with zippers and demands to know where the cats are.
He left without taking anything, and the woman was able to free herself.
The next day Wittmann shows up at the shelter for an appointment he made Monday afternoon to fetch a cat.
He was arrested, and police say he admitted to the kidnapping during an interview.
News.com represented itself in a bail hearing on Wednesday and told the court he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
A police detective said Wittmann served in the Australian military from 1995 to 1997 and was dismissed for ‘failing to provide effective service’.
Bail was denied, and Wittmann is expected to be back in court in April.