Ilena Rasmussen (Okaloosa Department of Corrections).
A Florida woman was arrested after she killed her roommate’s pet spider, law enforcement in the Sunshine State said.
Ilena Renae Rasmussen, 43, stands accused of one count each of larceny — petit theft in the second degree and animal cruelty that torments, deprives, mutilates, or kills any animal, according to Okaloosa County court and sheriff’s office records.
The motive for the animal’s death is unknown, but sheriff’s deputies say the defendant readily admitted to killing the tiny creature.
“The defendant texted the victim admitting to drowning the jumping spider in Ginger Ale,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Miami Herald.
The incident occurred at a home on Pansy Avenue in Crestview, a medium-sized city in the western Florida panhandle.
On July 15, the defendant’s roommate came home to discover her pet spider — and the spider’s enclosure — missing.
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After that, the sheriff’s office said, the frantic roommate reached out to Rasmussen about her nowhere-to-be-found friend.
On Monday, following the alleged confession, the defendant was charged, arrested, and released on a personal recognizance bond.
The spider cost around $70, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Here’s what the National Park Service has to say about jumping spiders:
Jumping Spiders are members of the spider family Salticidae, the largest family of spiders with over 5,000 described species. Their body size is small to medium (although if you are arachnophobic, they probably look the size of a horse). A dense covering of iridescent scales or hairs is also typical of Jumping Spiders.
Another distinguishing characteristic is the large size of their anterior median eyes (they have eight total eyes) and the patterning of their eyes.
And, according to the University of Florida, jumping spiders are of “considerable beneficial importance in the control of flies, mosquitoes, and other human pests.”
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Okaloosa County court records show a lengthy series of prior charges for a person with the defendant’s same name and birth date. Those charges include battery and driving under the influence.
Rasmussen is not currently represented by counsel in the case, court records show.
The defendant is next slated to appear in court for her arraignment on Aug. 20.
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