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| http://216.32.180.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=&lah=45bba666309667faa9b2ce4b4aedb97b&lat=948061013&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2etoledoblade%2ecom%2feditorial%2fnews%2f0a14kitt%2ehtm Man allegedly beat wife, killed kitten January 14, 2000 BY ROBIN ERB BLADE STAFF WRITER An East Toledo man accused of killing his wife's kitten by putting it in an oven set at 500 degrees and then telling her "Your dinner's ready" appeared in court yesterday on animal cruelty and domestic violence charges. Dennis Davis, 56, of Main Street, was ordered held in the Lucas County jail in lieu of $8,500 bond by Judge Mary Trimboli of Toledo Municipal Court. "Just when you think they've found every way possible to manipulate someone, somebody comes up with something new," said Sam Nugent, chief prosecutor. "This is quite brutal, quite unnerving." Davis: Charged with domestic violence, he's being held on bond in the Lucas County Jail. "I've never had anything like this," Kevin Warner, a Toledo Humane Society investigator, said. The case began about 3:30 p.m. Jan. 9, according to a police report filed by Roberta Davis, 41, who told officers that she is seeking a divorce from her husband. Ms. Davis, who did not call police at the time but went to the downtown police station Tuesday to report it, told an officer that she came home and her husband told her that dinner was ready. When she opened the stove, she found her dead kitten, according to the report. "He then threw the kitten in the trash," court papers state. Ms. Davis told police that her husband then assaulted her - tightening a jump rope around her neck, pushing her to the ground, and punching and kicking her. He threatened to kill Ms. Davis if she sought help, according to the report she filed. The court was asked by Ms. Davis to issue a temporary protection order against her husband, which the judge granted. Convicted previously for domestic violence against his wife, Mr. Davis is charged with felony domestic violence, a fifth-degree felony punishable by up to a year in prison and a $7,500 fine. In the 1996 case, Mr. Davis "did threaten to kill [Ms. Davis] via a phone conversation." At the time, the couple was married but separated. He was sentenced to three days in jail, court papers show. The animal cruelty charge is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine. The only time an animal cruelty charge carries a felony penalty is when it involves dog-fighting, Mr. Warner said. |