Police said a Maine man is facing criminal charges after he reportedly beat his father’s cat to death with a frying pan on Thanksgiving.
Ryan T. Carleton, a 43-year-old Piscataquis County man, is scheduled to be arraigned in a local court Monday on charges including animal cruelty and violating conditions of release, according to a report from the Bangor Daily News.
Carleton’s father called the police Thanksgiving morning around 7:00 a.m. to report his son was “out of it” and very violent, according to a police affidavit obtained by the outlet. He reportedly told police he feared for his safety after finding a bloody frying pan and the body of the dead cat in his son’s room. (REPORT: Justice Department Accuses ‘Tiger King’ Star Jeffrey Lowe And Wife Lauren Of Animal Abuse)
A Piscataquis County man released Wednesday on unsecured bail was arrested Thanksgiving Day after he allegedly beat his father’s cat to death with a frying pan. https://t.co/hRWF1aJq6z
— Bangor Daily News (@bangordailynews) November 28, 2020
Carleton was released from jail on Wednesday for the third time in a month and ordered to have no contact with his mother or father due to a history of “violent and drunken behavior,” police told the Bangor Daily News. Even though it violated his bail conditions, his father reportedly said he let Carleton stay with him because his son had nowhere else to go.
Neither of Carleton’s parents wanted their son to be released due to his recent criminal history, police told the outlet. Carleton stole his mother’s car Nov. 17 after allegedly drinking and drove the vehicle without a license, police told the Bangor Daily News.
In addition to animal cruelty and violating the terms of his release, Carleton reportedly faces a string of charges, the most serious being the theft of his mother’s vehicle. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, police told the outlet. Carleton is also facing multiple Class D misdemeanor charges, which carry a penalty of a $2,000 fine and up to a year in prison, the Bangor Daily News further reported.