Cat killed in front of children
Des Moines, IA (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Nov 14, 2004
County: Polk
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: John Edward Peterson
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
After drinking three-quarters of a bottle of vodka, a Des Moines man beat a house cat to death in front of his young children, infuriated because the animal had scratched him, police say.
John Edward Peterson, 26, of 612 S.E. Sixth St. was arrested and charged with three counts of child endangerment and cruelty to animals, according to Des Moines police.
It's unusual for someone to go to prison in Iowa in a case involving the killing of an animal. The felony child-endangerment charges, filed because Peterson allegedly was too impaired to care for the children, raise that prospect.
Peterson's 6-year-old daughter and 8-year-old stepson told police their father had been drinking vodka all night from a 1.75-liter bottle. When Pebbles the cat clawed him, he threw the animal against the wall, trapped it in the corner of the bedroom and punched it with his fist until it was dead, police reported.
Then Peterson chased the family's other cat, Ricky, and tried to kill it, too, the children told police.
When officers arrived at the Southeast Sixth Street home at 11:45 p.m., Peterson was standing in the middle of the room, bloody and wearing only jeans.
"All he had to say was that he was very drunk," states the police report, written by Officer Dave Krehbiel.
Earlier, Peterson had telephoned the 6-year-old girl's mother, Roxanna Ethington, 25, of 3901 E. Tiffin Ave. in Des Moines, and told her he was going to take their daughter away for good, the report says. The girl had been living with her father since September.
At 11:30 p.m. Sunday, the 6-year-old girl told her mother over the phone "that her dad was very drunk and had killed one of the house cats," said Ethington, who then called police.
Candy Peterson, 25, the mother of Peterson's 8-year-old stepson and 4-year-old son, let officers in the door, saying, "Please come in and help us," police said. She had just returned home from work, she told police.
Ethington picked up her 6-year-old daughter; the two boys stayed with Candy Peterson, police said.
John Peterson was in the Polk County Jail on Monday on $21,450 bond.
His wife said Monday afternoon she has no intention of bailing him out.
"He's in trouble," said Candy Peterson, whose eyes were ringed with dark circles after a sleepless night. "I'm very upset with him. He's paying for this. And the kids are paying for this, and I'm paying for this."
The second cat, Ricky, saw a veterinarian Monday and may have internal bleeding.
Ethington said she and John Peterson are fighting over custody of their daughter. The girl was ordered in September to stay with her father because of problems in Ethington's home, Ethington said. She was working with a social worker Monday in hopes that her mother could obtain custody of the girl.
To contact the Polk county attorney:
The Honorable John Sarcone
Polk County Attorney
206 Sixth Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: 515-286-3737
Fax: 515-286-3428
Case UpdatesReferences
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