Nevada man arrested in San Francisco kitten torture case

San Francisco police arrested a Nevada man after San Francisco Animal Care and Control opened a kitten abuse investigation tied to the 1800 block of Market Street. Officers said they first became aware of the case on July 2, one day after a man entered a bank ATM vestibule around 2 a.m. with a small kitten.

The Police Department said the suspect then "proceeded to violently torture the animal to death." The arrest was announced July 16, and later reporting identified the suspect as William Ohlson, described as a Reno resident.

The case moved quickly from an animal-control investigation into a criminal prosecution. On July 17, the San Francisco District Attorney charged Ohlson with animal torture, and Local News Matters later reported the charge was filed in connection with the kitten death in the Market Street ATM vestibule. The San Francisco Standard reported that the district attorney called the crime "sickening" and said a state Supreme Court ruling forced officials to release Ohlson ahead of Monday’s arraignment despite the allegations.

For San Francisco, the case underscores how animal-cruelty complaints are handled when they surface in a dense public corridor like Market Street. SFACC officers investigate reports of cruelty and neglect, and the department says residents who suspect abuse should call 415-554-6364. For animal emergencies, SFACC lists 415-554-9400, available from 6 a.m. to midnight.

SFPD also directs residents to 911 for life-threatening emergencies or crimes in progress, 415-553-0123 for non-emergency police matters, and 415-575-4444 for anonymous tips. In this case, the police department’s public release shows SFACC and SFPD worked together from the start, turning a report of animal abuse into an arrest and a felony charge within two weeks.