Dickson, TN — After a week of widespread outrage across Dickson County and social media, authorities have arrested a suspect in a disturbing animal cruelty case dubbed the “Cruello deVille” incident.
Sydney Byrns Wallace, 68, of Dickson, was arrested on May 15 in connection with the dumping of a mother cat and her four kittens near the Humane Society of Dickson County (HSDC). According to an arrest affidavit filed in Dickson County General Sessions Court, Wallace entered the shelter on May 8 attempting to surrender the cats. Shelter staff informed him they were at capacity and could not accept the animals but provided him with a list of alternative resources.
HSDC Animal Care Supervisor Kaylee Payne said Wallace told shelter staff, “I’ll take care of it,” before leaving. Surveillance footage then showed him backing his SUV out of the parking lot and releasing the mother cat. Witnesses later reported seeing kittens being thrown from the passenger window of a vehicle on Jackson Brothers Blvd. Three of the kittens were rescued immediately, and the fourth was later found. All survived and have since been adopted. The mother cat remains missing.
The incident sparked a public outcry after HSDC shared the surveillance images online, asking for help identifying the suspect. The City of Dickson Police Department launched an investigation with assistance from the community.
“These kittens were incredibly lucky,” Payne said. “They wouldn’t have survived that night’s storm. Without their mother’s warmth or each other to cuddle up with, they would’ve gotten sick, frozen, or worse.”
Payne emphasized the importance of spaying and neutering pets to prevent such situations, noting that resources always exist for unexpected litters.
Wallace has been charged with five counts of animal cruelty and is scheduled to appear in Dickson County General Sessions Court on June 17. He has no prior criminal record listed in Dickson County.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Dickson County reported three cases of animal cruelty in 2022.
