Man Tells Police He Was Chasing His Kitten After They Find Him in Trashed House With Blood on the Floor

Colin Fredericson
By Colin Fredericson
July 30, 2019US News
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Man Tells Police He Was Chasing His Kitten After They Find Him in Trashed House With Blood on the Floor
File photo showing police tape at night. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A man told sheriff’s deputies he was just chasing his kitten after they found him in a trashed house with a pool of blood on the floor.

In the early hours of July 28, Douglas Smith was at his house, hanging out and drinking with a friend Cary Vannote, Miami-Herald reported.

Deputies arrived at the scene of the Pasco County, Florida, residence after getting a call from the Vannote. They saw Smith lying in a pile of broken furniture, a knocked over television, a broken table, along with “lots of things knocked over and thrown around.” They found money on the ground and a pool of blood, according to the arrest record obtained by WFLA.

Smith told deputies he had no recollection of anything other than chasing his kitten. He said he was mowing his lawn, and then afterward met up with his friend and started drinking.

Vannote has known Smith throughout his life. He said Smith “randomly became enraged” and started to trash items in the house and also pummel him. The friend said he was being hit so fast and hard that he couldn’t tell if Smith had a weapon or not, Miami-Herald reported.

When deputies arrested Smith and put him in the patrol car, he talked more about chasing the kitten. He also gave “various reasons why the victim is less of a man than he is,” along with screaming and yelling.

Smith was charged with “aggravated battery – cause bodily harm or disability,” according to July 28, court records.

The friend’s injuries could require surgery and leave permanent damage, according to the reports obtained by WFLA.

Police requested a high bond because Smith was not cooperative, WFLA reported. Smith paid the $20,000 bond and was released on July 29, the Miami Herald reported.

The Miami Herald said there was no mention of the current whereabouts of the kitten, or even if there was a kitten, in the police report.

Friends Beating Friends

An Indiana man was sentenced to three years on July 25 for beating up a friend and leaving him behind unconscious, Pharos-Tribune reported.

Christopher Ryan Sherwood was driving around with the victim when he stopped the vehicle to urinate. The victim also exited the car. Sherwood asked him to find a ring that he lost. When the victim bent down to look, Sherwood struck him, causing him to lose consciousness, according to the Tribune.

When the victim awoke, he had to walk and find a friend’s house to get help. He walked so far he had holes in his socks, his mother said in court.

The victim needed $120,000 worth of medical treatment. The assailant will only need to pay $83 of that amount, as the victim’s insurance covered the rest.

The victim’s wallet, cell phone, and shoes were nowhere to be found after the May 2018 incident, the Tribune reported.

Sherwood’s girlfriend said to the police that Sherwood was jealous of her and the victim’s friendship. Sherwood said in court that he was not happy that the victim was supplying his girlfriend with drugs and taking her out on drug transactions, the Tribune reported.

Sherwood claimed he never planned the attack.

“I don’t know why he got out of the truck. We were having an argument,” Sherwood said, via the Tribune.

He said the argument got more intense before erupting in violence.

“I can’t explain it. I wasn’t thinking at all that night,” Sherwood added.

The victim did not appear at the sentencing hearing because he was in jail due to an unrelated incident.

The mother of the victim said he required a lengthy hospitalization, including complicated surgeries. She also said that doctors told her he would need seizure medication for the rest of his life. He could also contract Alzheimer’s disease by age 50, according to legal documents obtained by the Tribune.

Sherwood pleaded guilty to Level 5 battery resulting in a serious bodily injury. He avoided a Level 2 felony robbery conviction that would carry a 10 to a 30-year prison sentence, the Tribune reported.

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