This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo police arrested a man Wednesday after he allegedly tortured and killed cats.
The 26-year-old Provo man was booked at Utah County jail on suspicion of three counts of torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony, as well as misdemeanor drug charges.
Officers went to the area of 1500 North and 350 West on Oct. 15 on a report of a cat on fire, according to an arrest document. Police found a cat about 3 a.m. that had been burned and left in a gutter. The animal was alive but was euthanized because of its injuries.
On Nov. 6, a Provo resident found in his yard an injured cat with blood coming from its mouth. He told police he saw a man, later identified as the suspect, acting suspicious nearby.
The resident also told police he'd found about eight dead cats in his backyard in prior weeks, including one with a rope around its neck. Other neighbors called police in the following days, noting that they'd seen the suspect with multiple cats.
On Monday, officers checked the suspect's trash can, where they found 1.63 grams of heroin and a dead cat with blood coming from its mouth and ears. A veterinarian later determined that the cat had died from blunt force trauma, suffering from broken back legs, a broken jaw and blown eardrums, the document says.
Police later searched the suspect's home, vehicle and phone. They discovered a dried blood mark on the man's car mat that matched a photo on his phone, showing a bleeding cat lying on the mat, documents state; officers found more heroin and paraphernalia in his house.
The Humane Society of Utah released a statement via email Thursday, condemning the man's acts and asking for the maximum penalty if he is convicted.
"We are at a loss for words to express our reaction to these gruesome activities," the group says. "This antisocial behavior is scary since abuse of animals is highly correlated with human abuse."
The man admitted to throwing one cat in the trash, but he denied hurting any of the animals.
Twitter: @CourtneyLTanner