Humane Society: Geneva man traps raccoon and sets on fire

GENEVA, N.Y. — The Ontario County Humane Society says a Geneva resident trapped a raccoon, set the animal on fire while still alive, and posted it on social media.

Willis Bowles J., 35, is charged with animal cruelty and received an appearance ticket for Geneva City Court. The Humane Society began investigating on June 20 after getting a report of the social media post. The post shows a man pouring flammable liquid of the raccoon inside the trap and lighting a piece of paper.

The Humane Society later identified the suspect as Bowles and found the dead raccoon along with other evidence supporting the post after executing a search warrant.

The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office and Geneva Police Department helped with the investigation.