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STORY: Animal rights activists say a Pasadena case of alleged animal cruelty should be a red flag for future abusive behavior toward humans. In late March, two teens allegedly stole over half a dozen rabbits from a local breeder. Cruelty caseworker with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Martin Mersereau describes what happened next: "The one rabbit they were seen by eyewitnesses killing ... they actually are alleged to have doused the animal with gasoline, set her a fire and behead her all while she was still living. The horrified witness, I understand, contacted the police, then everyone in Pasadena contacted PETA wanting us to ensure a vigorous prosecution and that's what we intend to do." The two teens now face charges of felony animal cruelty. If convicted they'll receive psychological counseling. In a letter to Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal, Merserau called for full prosecution of the teens: "A lot of people might think that PETA's involved so we're sort of just blindly coming got the side of animals, but really this is a community issue as well" Law enforcement agencies like the FBI use reports of animal abuse in gauging the threat of suspected criminals. Patterns of domestic battering and child abuse are often found in households where animal abuse takes place. A 20-year study by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty towards animals showed men who committed violent acts against people were five times as likely to engage in animal cruelty behavior. Animal rights advocate Karen Dawn says some criminal investigations could be solved more quickly if police and the courts paid more attention to this pattern. She argues detectives in the case of missing girl Elizabeth Smart should have looked for such warning signs: "If they had been looking for somebody with an animal cruelty history, they would have come across the right suspects many, many months earlier, rather than focusing on the wrong suspect who had a history of burglary, breaking an entering but had no history of violence. His step children has been on the air the night he was arrested saying he had shot the family dog in front of them, had taken their bunny, and killed he bunny and served it to them for dinner." Texas is one of 41 states who've upgraded their animal cruelty statues to include a felony provision. Harris County prosecutors will hear case of the two Pasadena teens charged with felony animal cruelty later this month. Renee Feltz, KPFT News, Houston. E-mail Renee Feltz at chickpea_@ziplip.com . This story was broadcast on April 16, 2003.