Kitten torture suspect William Ohlson, 33, adopted more animals in Nevada with the intent of harming them while skipping his San Francisco court appearance, according to law enforcement sources.
When police officers in Reno, Nevada, surrounded a home last Thursday, it was not the first time authorities had gone looking for William Ohlson. He was arrested by San Francisco police for allegedly torturing and killing a 6-week-old kitten on July 1.
A judge issued a bench warrant to arrest him when he skipped his appearance in Superior Court.
According to San Francisco Police and San Francisco Animal Care and Control on July 1, Mr. Ohlson allegedly entered a bank ATM vestibule on the 1800 block of Market Street around 2 a.m. with a small kitten and proceeded to violently torture the animal to death.
Mr. Ohlson allegedly fled the scene with the dead kitten.
The San Francisco Police Department said in a press release that on July 1 at around 2 a.m., the man entered a Bank of America ATM vestibule at 1844 Market Street with a small kitten. San Francisco Animal Care and Control told police that the man proceeded to violently torture the animal, killing it in the process.
Instead of facing court, Ohlson returned to Nevada and resumed his pattern.
While skipping his San Francisco court appearance, Ohlson adopted more kittens in Nevada with the intent of harming them, according to law enforcement sources.
Jennifer Herbst, owner of The Biggest Little Cat Rescue in Reno, said her rescue approved William Ohlson’s adoption of two kittens, Nola and Haven, on July 8.
Herbst said nothing during the adoption process raised concerns.
“I was told that he was very normal, acted excited to see the kittens… He acted normal,” Herbst said.
The adoption turned sinister within days.
Two days after the adoption, the rescue’s excitement turned into concern when Haven was found abandoned, Herbst said.
“I was called by Washoe County Animal Control that he was found in a dumpster in his carrier. I said, ‘Well, where’s the other one?’ They did not know there was another one that he adopted,” Herbst said.
Nola, a 3-month-old kitten adopted July 8 by Ohlson, has not been located, authorities said.
Herbst said Haven has since been adopted by a new family and is doing well, but Nola is still missing.
Investigators uncovered a disturbing pattern in Nevada.
According to investigators and our previous reports, Ohlson is accused of adopting kittens and later recording videos depicting the animals being killed.
He had reportedly adopted multiple kittens, and was recording videos of himself torturing and killing them — which were apparently posted to some public account.
The suspect was arrested again on July 23.
The Reno Police Department said it arrested William Ohlson on Thursday on outstanding warrants, including a felony warrant related to an animal cruelty investigation being led by Washoe County Animal Control.
In Reno, he was taken into custody Thursday after a standoff at his home on Stewart Street between Holcomb and Wheeler avenues, according to a police statement.
Neighbors cheered at his capture in Reno.
Someone shouts, “F–k you, Will” as he’s taken into custody.
The case revealed gaps in adoption screening systems.
“There ought to be a nationwide ‘do not adopt’ list, but we can coordinate on one here to start,” said Jennifer Herbst, owner of Reno’s The Biggest Little Cat Rescue.
Court records showed Ohlson had a prior animal cruelty conviction.
According to Second Judicial District Court records, Ohlson was convicted in 2022 of attempting to willfully or maliciously torture, maim, mutilate or kill a companion animal.
In 2020, Ohlson pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to kill or torture a white kitten at a Walmart in Reno. His sentence was suspended in exchange for attending adult drug court.
The allegations landed Ohlson on the “Do Not Adopt” list for both the Nevada Humane Society and the SPCA of Northern Nevada.
DA Brooke Jenkins expressed frustration with legal limitations.
“Although we take this case extremely seriously, and this is very, very troubling conduct, we are bound and confined by the law,” Jenkins told reporters.
She said her office would pursue every legal avenue to prevent Ohlson from possessing another animal while the case moves through the courts.
Authorities may not keep him locked up before trial because of a recent state Supreme Court decision that limits pre-trial detention to cases involving violence against a human being.
In the viral moment on July 1, a man entered a bank ATM vestibule in the 1800 block of Market Street around 2 a.m. with a small, 6-week-old black kitten and “proceeded to violently torture the animal to death,” police said. The man then fled with the dead animal. San Francisco Animal Care and Control was the lead agency in the investigation, assisted by the San Francisco Police Department, and they eventually identified the suspect as 33-year-old William Ohlson of Reno, Nevada.
Jenkins said there is no firm timeline yet for Ohlson’s return to San Francisco, but her office is “making sure that he gets back here to face our charges.”