LINCOLN — A Nebraska City man who police say strangled two of his family's cats now faces a possible prison term.
Police arrested Eric Inman, 47, last week after they found the pets buried in the back yard of his residence. He has since been charged with two felony counts of animal cruelty, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
A veterinarian who examined the cats determined they died by strangulation, said police Capt. Lonnie Neeman.
"We have animal neglect calls about every day, but we've never had anything quite like this before," he said.
The case unfolded after police received a call from Inman's wife late last week. The day before, she said, she and the couple's children had fled the home following an argument with her husband.
"The next day, he texted her and said . . . he had killed two cats and would kill a third if she didn't get home," Neeman said.
Inman was given his pretrial release after posting $1,000 of a $10,000 bail.
"His defense was these cats were old and sickly and they were thinking about euthanizing them," Neeman said. "His defense was he was going to try to save a vet bill."
Pets end up a target in many abusive situations where one partner wants to control the other. A study by Utah State University found up to 75 percent of women in shelters reported that their abuser also threatened or harmed their pets.
In 2009, Sen. Amanda McGill of Lincoln introduced legislation that would have extended legal protection orders to pets. The bill did not pass in Nebraska, although 19 states do afford animals such protection, according to the Animal Legal and Historical Center.
Contact the writer:
402-473-9587, joe.duggan@owh.com
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