WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — A DeFuniak Springs man has been arrested on aggravated animal cruelty and other charges after a dead cat was reportedly found in a trash can outside his property, said the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
On July 29, deputies responded to a residence on W Violet Lane after a report of animal abuse. A neighbor said they smelled a foul odor coming from a trash can set out near the road.
The caller reported seeing multiple cat traps in the area and discovering a dead cat inside the trash can.
When deputies arrived, they reportedly saw two armed and baited animal traps outside the property’s fence line, between the entry gate and the road. Inside the trash can, deputies said they found a dead cat in a trash bag, covered in blood, with what appeared to be a large, swollen contusion on the side of its head.
Deputies contacted Richard Steven Taylor, 64, by phone because the property’s fence prevented them from entering. According to the deputies, they asked him about the traps, and he told them he had been putting them out for the last 10 years to catch feral cats, adding, he “kills the ***damn things when [he]catches them.”
According to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Mr Taylor became increasingly agitated while speaking with deputies and claimed he was allowed to kill the cats because they were pests.
Deputies asked him to come outside to speak with them in person, but over the next several minutes, Taylor reportedly berated deputies using profanity, called them names, and made threats.
Deputies told Mr Taylor he was under arrest and ordered him to exit the fence. He refused several times, stating he would not come out until he could put clothes on, as he was in his underwear.
Taylor was charged with aggravated animal cruelty causing death, threatening a first responder with physical harm, and obstruction without violence. He was booked into the Walton County Jail and later released on a $21,000 bond.
