Justice for Strushie: Miami Beach hotel clerk charged with animal cruelty and tampering with evidence
UPDATE: Georgios Lollias (aka Kollias) has his first hearing at 9 am on Wednesday, July 12 in front of Judge Richard Hersch. Please attend and bring lots of signs for a demonstration outside Richard Gerstein Justice Bldg at 1351 NW 12 St, Miami, FL 33125. Court officials will let people in for the hearing if they behave, but signs have to be left outside. Be there at 8 am for a demonstration before the hearing. Click here for more info.
A Miami Beach hotel clerk was arrested Wednesday and charged with animal cruelty and tampering with evidence following the killing of a cat named Strushie with a bow and arrow on April 26. He remains in jail as of Wednesday afternoon.
Georgios Lollias, 36, a clerk at the Franklin Hotel on Collins Avenue in South Beach, admitted to shooting Strushie twice but didn’t give a motive. A woman who fed Strushie daily found the fatally injured cat, who had been living in the outdoor common at the hotel since his birth in 2010.
According to one of the petitions, a top part of one of the two arrows was found on steps of the hotel property although Strushie was finally captured under a dumpster after a frantic run with arrows on his head and neck, on the north side of the Franklin Hotel facing 9th street. Strushie had to be humanely euthanized due to his injuries.
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Police became suspicious when the surveillance which was obtained through a warrant showed missing footage for that day. The U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force, which specializes in recovering erased data from computers and other devices were called in to help solve the case.
A report stated the missing footage showed Lollias searching for Strushie while trying to conceal a crossbow. Lollias then shot into the bushes where Strushie was hiding, puncturing Strushie’s skull and brain.
Lollias has no criminal record in Florida. Police believe he may have stalked the cat because stray cats are considered a nuisance in the area. Others believe Lollias was acting on the orders of someone else.
Police Chief Daniel Oates stated in an interview with The Miami Herald
“It is a great relief that we have found some level of justice for Strushie. This was a horrific act of animal cruelty. I congratulate our detectives on this arrest and the U.S. Secret Service for the critical assistance they provided to us.”
According to the Miami Beach Patch, the former owner of the Franklin, Eleonora Todaro, put up $20,000 of the reward money while animal rescue groups put up an additional $3,000. Other donors included Stephen Sawitz of Joe’s Stone Crab, who added $2,000 and Mitch Novick, owner of the Sherbrooke All Suites Hotel, who added $1,000.
Be sure to read this petition since many believe Strushie’s killer didn’t act alone. For updates please follow Justice for Strushie-Miami Beach cat killed by arrow on Facebook.
Elisa
I hope the people responsible for killing the charming mascot of this hotel get what they deserve: huge fines, jail time, and a total boycott of the hotel which is now the site of a sick and sad crime, committed by a bunch of empty, evil-mined slobs.
Thanks Lesli for commenting. I agree.
I thought I also read that the perp was here illegally. Well, needless to say what I hope happens to this piece of trash taking up space. I hope they nail him with arrows and leave them in for life. Better yet…………..
Yes, these comments seem to stick themselves in wherever they want to. They don’t always go to reply to the person they’re answering.
i HATE when THIS stuff happens!!! someone shouldve adopted this poor guy & given him a safe home away from a-holes like the guy that shot him! if hed been inside a loving caring home hed still b alive. i hope that poor kitty gets SOME justice!
Why can’t bastards like you understand that animals are part of the earth? If you will do this kind of horse shit to a cat, there must be plenty of skeletons in your closet. I pray you will have flash backs every day of you killing this very precious cat. If you had been human, you would have adopted it. The cat was already going through hell by not having a home where someone have protected him.
I hope you get jail time and you be up there with the “big boys.”
Note from administration: this is not a response to Ed Young’s comment, but a freestanding comment. This note is to inform Ed Young of that fact in order to avoid a misunderstanding that he is being criticised.
Yes, well said Ed.
WORD!! (Ed’s post)
Thank you for this article Elisa. I have prayed for justice for Strushie. Even though this will not bring poor Strushie back to us it is a major breakthrough in an animal cruelty case. Strushie was loved by many in Miami Beach. I hope that Georgios confesses the whole story. Of course, if true, these hotel owners will never really get what they deserve here on earth. The way that the legal system works is very sad and very “wrong.” Karma will catch up with all involved eventually. We love you Strushie. Your life matters.
I wonder whether the hotel owner has been interviewed by the police. I would have thought that that would have been the very first step to make in investigating this crime further.
More than likely. I’m sure they went to him for the videos.