Prosecutors will not seek charges after cats killed in trash compactor at Middlebury RV plant

ELKHART COUNTY, Ind. (WNDU) - The Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office says it will not be seeking charges against the RV workers who allegedly admitted to placing two live cats in a trash compactor at an RV plant in Middlebury.

The incident happened back on Feb. 27 at Jayco RV. Three former employees were initially charged earlier this month with torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal, but the charges were dropped a few days later due to a clerical error.

Prosecutors initially told WNDU 16 News Now that the men could face the same charges or different charges in connection with this case in the future, but now they say no criminal charges will be filed against them.

According to prosecutors, the feral cats caused extensive damage to the business’s ceiling and other valuable items. A week before the cats were killed, investigators claim the company tried to find a new home for the cats, but they traveled approximately 10 miles to come back to the plant.

That’s reportedly when the cats were killed with a trash compactor that caused death within a few seconds. Prosecutors say there was no evidence suggesting the employees intended to cause suffering or prolonged physical pain to the cats.

In a news release, prosecutors say an exception to Indiana law prohibiting the abuse of a vertebrate animal exists when the animal that is destroyed is endangering, harassing, or threatening livestock or a domestic animal, or destroying or damaging a person’s property.

You can read the prosecutor’s office’s full explanation in the release below:

6-25-2025 Additional Evidence and Indiana Law Exceptions Do Not Support Formal Criminal Charges Being Reins... by WNDU on Scribd

The decision to not file the charges comes on the same day protestors rallied outside the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office to demand justice for the cats.

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