Woman who threatened to hurt missing kitten if not given $20 faces extortion charge

A Florida woman was arrested on Friday on allegations she tried to get another woman to pay $20 to have her kitten returned and threatening to hurt the kitten if the money was not paid, police reported.

Madeleine Joan Kaye, 22, from Gainesville, was charged with extortion/threats, her arrest report states. She is listed as being a student. A woman who is in the same circle of friends with Kaye had posted notices that her grey kitten was missing.



On Thursday, Kaye sent the woman several text messages saying she had the kitten and wanted at least $20 or “something bad” would happen to the kitten. One text from Kaye said the kitten was not being returned out of revenge for how the owner had treated a friend of Kaye's. Officer Frederick Munn reported that he met with Kaye on Friday in an effort to get the kitten.

Kaye denied all knowledge of the kitten. After being read her Miranda rights, Kaye admitted to sending the text messages while out drinking with friends. “Defendant stated that the messages are representatives or examples of HUMOR,” Munn wrote in the report. “The defendant states that she has no knowledge of where the kitten is or what has happened to the kitten.”