A 21-year-old man has been charged with animal cruelty after reportedly cutting off a cat's testicles with scissors and then dumping the animal in the woods.
Ryan Kintzele has bonded out of the St. Joseph County Jail but faces a misdemeanor charge on the Monday offense.
St. Joseph County police received a call from the mother of Kintzele's girlfriend about 9:40 p.m. on Nov 6, after her daughter reportedly told her Kintzele had cut off her cat's testicles.
It was unclear exactly why the man did it, but the mother said it was possible Kintzele became angry that the cat had "sprayed" in one of the rooms, causing it to smell, according to reports.
When police arrived at a home in the 1200 block of Enchanted Forest Street, Kintzele was not there and neither was the animal, so officers tried to put together what happened.
Kintzele's girlfriend would only tell police that her boyfriend said the cat was "sick" and that she believed he took it to the Humane Society. Her mother told police she did not witness the cutting but said her daughter had called her about it afterward.
Police looked around the house and found droplets of blood and what appeared to be animal hair in the bathroom along with a litter box full of cat feces and blood, according to reports.
A red blanket was reportedly lying on the living room floor, also with a large amount of blood. They then discovered a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and gauze pads on a counter, reports said.
When Kintzele returned, officers questioned him about all the blood, and he told them the cat had been puking up blood and he had taken it to the woods.
When asked why he did not immediately take it for medical attention, he reportedly responded, "Nature can take care of an animal better than a veterinarian."
Kintzele told officers he used the peroxide and gauze on himself, although he did not have any signs of an injury. There were also no signs of vomit in the home, according to police.
Officers could not find the cat and arrested Kintzele.
Cruelty to an animal is a Class A misdemeanor in Indiana unless the animal is tortured or mutilated, which then qualifies as a Class D felony. Case UpdatesAccording to the prosecutor's office, misdemeanor charges were initially filed. The prosecutor asked for more investigation into the case, at which point they could not find the cat, and there were no witnesses.
No charges were able to be filed, due to lack of evidence. | | Update posted on Dec 7, 2006 - 5:42PM |
Prosecutors have asked police to continue investigating whether a 21-year-old man recently castrated his girlfriend's cat, a spokeswoman said Monday.
Because of incorrect information provided, The Tribune reported last week that formal charges in the alleged Nov. 6 offense had already been filed against the suspect. But the spokeswoman said Monday that prosecutors felt more investigation was needed before deciding on possible charges.
The 21-year-old man reportedly cut off the cat's testicles with scissors in his Castle Point apartment and then dumped the animal in the woods.
His girlfriend's mother called police after talking to her daughter, police said, but when officers arrived, they found neither the suspect nor the cat.
They did find droplets of blood and what appeared to be animal hair in various rooms of the apartment along with a litter box full of cat feces and blood, according to reports. A bottle of hydrogen peroxide and gauze pads were also reportedly discovered on a counter.
Police took the suspect into custody after he returned to the apartment and told them he dropped off the animal in the woods because it was sick.
Public information officer Sgt. Bill Redman said Monday that officers arrested the suspect on a preliminary offense of misdemeanor animal cruelty.
Cruelty to an animal is a Class A misdemeanor in Indiana unless the animal is tortured or mutilated, which then qualifies as a Class D felony.
But because officers couldn't find the cat or types of other physical evidence, it would be hard for them to push a felony offense, Redman said.
The suspect later bonded out of jail and on Wednesday filed his own police report with St. Joseph County police, alleging that his home was ransacked while he was incarcerated.
The man reportedly returned to his apartment to find his car missing and his couch cushions scratched and cut, according to police. Used cat litter and cat feces were also found in his room, on his bed, inside closets and on the hallway floor, according to reports.
He also reported that scratched into his apartment walls were the words "sick (expletive)" and "cat killer."
Redman said no arrests have been made related to the auto theft or criminal mischief claims, although the man told police who he believed to be responsible for the damage. Redman said the case will be forwarded to the detective bureau.
It was unclear exactly why the man would allegedly castrate his girlfriend's cat, but her mother told authorities earlier it was possible he became angry because the cat had sprayed urine in one of the rooms, causing it to smell, according to reports. | Source: South Bend Tribune - Nov 14, 2006
Update posted on Nov 16, 2006 - 2:04AM |
Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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