A man was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after he allegedly showed up drunk to his ex-girlfriend’s home in Yucaipa and killed her cat, police said Tuesday.
Deputies were called out to the 35000 block of Beach Avenue shortly before 3:40 p.m. Monday after a frantic woman called to report her cat had been killed by a man at the location, according to a Yucaipa Police Department news release.
When they responded, deputies found an apparently intoxicated man at the residence with numerous scratches on his arms. A dead cat was discovered in the home.
Investigators determined that the suspect — identified as 37-year-old Michael Herden, of Yucaipa, — was the victim’s ex-boyfriend. He allegedly sent text messages to the woman, threatening to kill her cat when she wasn’t at home.
The victim returned to her home to find Herden inside and her cat dead, according to police.
A necropsy will be performed to determine how the feline died.
Herden was arrested on suspicion of felony animal cruelty, as well as on an outstanding warrant for public intoxication, the release stated.
He was booked into jail and is being held on $60,000, according to inmate records.
A booking photo was not released.
The case remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Yucaipa police at 909-918-2305 or the We-Tip hotline at 1-888-78-CRIME.
