Lake City, FL: Police: Man Killed Girlfriend's Cat

Lake City Man Arrested On Animal Cruelty Charges
POSTED: Friday, April 30, 2010
UPDATED: 11:15 am EDT April 30, 2010

Lake City Police Department booking photo of Timothy Stearns
LAKE CITY, Fla. -- A Lake City man was arrested Thursday morning after police said he killed his girlfriend's cat and threatened to kill her.
The woman told police that Timothy Stearns, 38, threatened to hurt her and said he was going to kill her cat. And when she returned home at about 10:30 a.m., police said, she found her apartment door open and saw one of her couches positioned in front of the door with her dead cat on it.
Stearns' girlfriend told police the two had been living together off and on for three years, and they had recently moved into the home together.
Police said she was working out at Anytime Fitness gym the night before when Stearns confronted her in the parking lot and said, "Don't come home or you'll get what you get, and I'll kill you and your cat."
The cat was sent to an animal shelter and will be taken to the University of Florida for further investigation into the cause of death, police said.
Officers said Stearns had an active warrant on violation of probation. He was later arrested and booked into the county jail without bond on charges of animal cruelty, assault and violation of probation disorderly conduct.