NEED TO KNOW
- Zachary Rollins, 22, faces three felony counts of torture of a cat or dog, a charge that carries a prison sentence of one to five years in Kentucky
- His girlfriend called police on Saturday to report that Rollins was intoxicated and had allegedly bitten her cat’s ear off; he allegedly hid under blankets from police when they arrived
- Rollins’ girlfriend allegedly produced a Facebook message that he had sent to his mother in which he told her that the animal “bit him first”
A Kentucky man is facing felony charges after allegedly biting off a cat’s ear during a domestic dispute.
Zachary L. Rollins, 22, was charged with one felony count of torture of a cat or dog following the incident on Saturday, per an arrest citation reviewed by LEX 18, WHAS 11 and the Lexington Herald Leader.
Pulaski County deputies responded to a home on Skyview Drive in Russell Springs, Ky., around 3 p.m. after a woman reported that her intoxicated boyfriend had bitten her cat’s ear off. When officers arrived, Rollins was reportedly found hiding under blankets in bed.
He allegedly refused to speak with deputies outside and was subsequently handcuffed inside the residence.
The woman provided officers with photos of the injured cat and a screenshot of a Facebook message in which Rollins allegedly admitted to the act. In the message to his mother, Rollins claimed he bit the cat’s ear off because it had bitten him first, per the citation.
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When questioned by police, Rollins allegedly admitted to sending the message but denied biting the cat, saying instead that he had “tossed it” after being bitten.
Following his arrest, authorities issued a separate warrant related to the deaths of two other cats in April, according to a press release from the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office.
Rollins now faces three felony charges and is being held at Pulaski County Detention Center on a $50,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 21, per online court records.
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