The trial for Jody Cothron, scheduled Tuesday, was postponed when Cothron claimed he did not have representation, according to Brookhaven Animal Rescue League president Lu Becker.

City Prosecutor Joseph Durr was out of town Tuesday, and municipal court clerks refused to provide public records without his approval. The details of the proceedings and the new trial date are unavailable at this time.

Cothron, 39, 2306 Barfoot Circle, Brookhaven, was charged in April with aggravated animal cruelty after he was alleged to have beaten a cat during a visit to the BARL shelter. The cat was taken to a veterinarian, where it later died.

BARL representatives said at the time that a caregiver would normally have been present to supervise the visit, but staff were out of  the building temporarily to capture a dog that had gotten loose.

When the caregiver later returned, she found blood splattered around the room and a plastic stick was in pieces from where the man allegedly hit the cat, a BARL Facebook post stated.

BARL said Cothron had no prior connection to the facility.

Mississippi law has two categories of animal cruelty — simple and aggravated. Both are misdemeanors with maximum penalties of six months in jail. The lesser charge carries a maximum $1,000 fine; aggravated animal cruelty carries a maximum fine of $2,500. A second or subsequent aggravated charge within five years is a felony with harsher penalties.