SOUTH JORDAN, Utah, Jan. 28, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A 55-year-old man has been arrested in South Jordan after he allegedly strangled a family cat, then beat the woman who discovered him during the act.
The man, whose name is being withheld to protect the privacy of the alleged victim, was booked into the Salt Lake County jail for investigation of:
- Aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony
- Aggravated cruelty to animals, intentionally or knowingly, a class A misdemeanor
- Failure to stop at command of law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor
- Interference with arresting officer, a class B misdemeanor
Actual charges will be determined by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
South Jordan police were called to a residence on Friday night, and say they saw the alleged suspect walk out the front door and run down the street.
Officers “had to take him to the ground in order to place (him) under arrest,” affidavit says. “While (he) was on the ground he began to fight with officers and resisted being taken into custody.”
The female victim who had summoned police said man had gone downstairs to take a nap, but she “had a weird feeling about him taking a nap. When the victim went downstairs, she saw (him) on the bed strangling the cat.
“The victim ran over to the cat (and the man) and she realized (he) had killed the cat. (He) then turned to the victim and began to beat her up.”
The affidavit says the suspect also attempted to cut off the woman’s air supply multiple times. The woman was able to break away and lock herself in the bathroom, the statement says.
She was later determined to have a black eye, abrasions above her eye, a broken rib, severe bruising on her ribs, and a contusion on her left chest, the police statement says.
The suspect was arrested at 11:44 p.m., the statement says. He was ordered held without bail.
