Brendon Richard Gebhardt, 24, was arrested on Monday afternoon at his apartment near Central Avenue and Bell Road.
According to court documents, his girlfriend told detectives in mid-March she couldn't find her cat, Isaac. Gebhardt reportedly told her that the cat had a heart attack or a stroke from the fear of the vacuum.
Isaac was apparently showing signs of seizures and was unable to walk or eat, but Gebhardt allegedly refused to take him to an animal hospital. The cat died about a week and a half later.
Gebhardt's girlfriend believes her second cat, Cruz, died on April 28 or 29.
Gebhardt reportedly told her several stories what happened. One of them that was that Cruz jumped onto the top shelf and then when Gebhardt went to get it, she fell and was hurt. However, the girlfriend said she heard three loud thumps, and then Gebhardt came into the bathroom covered in blood.
The girlfriend described Gebhardt as abusive and controlling.
She feared for the safety of her third cat, Spooks, so he was put in the custody of the Arizona Humane Society.
Gebhardt originally denied intentionally hurting the cats but then admitted to what happened, court documents said.
According to court paperwork, Gebhardt told detectives he lost his temper with Isaac after he scratched him in the bathroom and choked the cat and then threw it against the wall. He said he didn't remember what happened in the moments after but reportedly said he tried to revive the cat.
As for Cruz, Gebhardt originally said the cat was in a crate when it slipped out of his hands, and the cat fell on her head. He later admitted when dropped the crate, the cat was still inside. He took Cruz out of the crate, and he hit the kitten with a scratch pole and killed it, court documents said.
Gebhardt is facing two counts of animal cruelty.
(KCTV - May 10, 2016)
Name: Brendon Richard Gebhardt
Sex: Male
Race: White
Height: 6'
Weight: 160
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
DOB: 05/15/1991
Age at arrest: 24
Date of arrest: May 9, 2016
Booked by: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Arizona
Charges:
- ANIMAL-INTENTL CRUEL MISTREAT
