A 19-year-old Denver man has been arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty for causing injury and death to hamsters stolen from a pet store. William Joseph Riddick has been charged with six counts of Aggravated Cruelty to Animals (F6) and one count of Theft (M1).
Over a two-month period Riddick is alleged to have stolen hamsters from the PetsMart at 10460 Town Center Drive in Westminster where he was employed. The retail value of the hamsters is estimated to be over $800.
Riddick was arrested on May 4th. His first appearance before a judge was on May 5th. After reviewing the information available to them, prosecutors requested a $10,000 bond with Pretrial Services supervision. The judge granted Riddick a $200 cash bond, unsupervised.
Riddick is scheduled to be advised of the charges filed against him at 10:00 on May 11 in courtroom 1B of the Jefferson County Courthouse.
