| Probable cause affidavit: |
SUBMITTED BY: SETTLES, KATHY 0113 (AR15-17450) (15-157037) did unlawfully and unnecessarily overload, overdrive, torture, torment, deprive of necessary sustenance or shelter, or unnecessarily or cruelly beat, mutilate, or kill any animal or cause the same to be done, in that HE did BLUDGEON A CAT NAMED RIPPER IN the HEAD WITH A HAMMER REPEATEDLY UNTIL IT WAS DEAD, in violation of Florida Statute 828.12(2). ON 120115, I RESPONDED TO 3871 SOUTH MILLSTONE POINT, IN REFERENCE TO AN ANIMAL CRUELTY INCIDENT. UPON ARRIVAL, I MADE CONTACT WITH THE COMPLAINANT, MR CHRISTOPHER CHEATHAM, WHO ADVISED HIS GIRLFRIEND, TARA (MR TRAVIS JAGGERS) HAD KILLED HIS 13-YEAR-OLD CAT RIPPER. HE ADVISED THIS OCCURRED WHILE THE COMPLAINANT WAS NOT IN THE RESIDENCE. WHEN HE DID RETURNED BACK HOME AND HE COULD NOT FIND HIS CATS, DEFENDANT JAGGERS THEN ADVISED HIM that THEY HAD BEEN PLACED OUTSIDE, NOT IN THE HOME ANYMORE. HE STATED ONE OF THE THREE CATS RETURNED HOME; HOWEVER, HE HAD A BAD FEELING ABOUT THE OTHER CATS, THEN ASKED DEFENDANT JAGGERS IF HE HAD KILLED ANY OF THE CATS. AT THAT TIME, THE DEFENDANT ADMITTED TO HIM THAT RIPPER HAD CAME RUNNING INTO the HOUSE AND HE HAD KILLED IT WITH A HAMMER BY HITTING IT IN THE HEAD AND THEN BURIED IT IN THE BACKYARD IN A PLAYSTATION 2 (PS2) BOX AND PUT A SLINKY TOY ON TOP OF the GRAVE. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE COMPLAINANT, I THEN WENT INTO THE RESIDENCE WHERE I MADE CONTACT WITH THE DEFENDANT. WHEN I ASKED THE DEFENDANT HIS NAME, HE STATED HIS NAME WAS MS TARA JAGGERS. WHEN I ASKED WHAT HIS GIVEN NAME WAS HE STATED MR TRAVIS WILLIAM JAGGERS. I INFORMED THE DEFENDANT THAT I WAS THERE IN REFERENCE TO INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT INVOLVING THE CAT AND MIRANDIZED the DEFENDANT VIA A PREPRINTED AGENCY ISSUED MIRANDA CARD. AT THAT TIME, THE DEFENDANT STATED HE WOULD SPEAK WITH ME. I ASKED HIM WHAT HE COULD TELL ME ABOUT the CAT RIPPER AND HE STATED "I KILLED IT BY HITTING IT IN THE HEAD WITH A HAMMER AND THEN I PUT IT IN A BAG AND PUT IT IN THE TRASH. I DID NOT FEEL THAT WAS RIGHT SO I TOOK IT OUT OF THE TRASH and PUT IT IN A PS2 BOX AND BURIED IT OUT BACK." WHEN I ASKED THE DEFENDANT WHEN THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED HE STATED IT WAS ON the CALENDAR THAT HE HAD WROTE "REST IN PEACE RIPPER". HE HAD POINTED AT A CALENDAR HANGING ON the WALL, AT WHICH TIME THE DATE WAS SHOWING 112715. I ASKED HIM WHAT TIME OF DAY IT OCCURRED, MORNING, AFTERNOON OR EVENING AND HE STATED IT OCCURRED IN THE MORNING TIME. I ASKED HIM WHY HE WOULD HIT THE CAT IN THE HEAD WITH A HAMMER AND BURY IT IN THE BACKYARD AND HE SAID "because IT RAN INTO THE HOUSE REALLY FAST AND I GRABBED IT AND SMACKED IT." WHEN I ASKED WHERE THIS OCCURRED IN the RESIDENCE, HE POINTED TO THE FRONT DOOR. EVEN AFTER HE ATTEMPTED TO CLEAN IT UP THERE WAS STILL BLOOD SPATTER ON THE WALLS AND THE FLOOR. AT THAT TIME, I ADVISED THE DEFENDANT HE WAS BEING PLACED UNDER ARREST FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY. HE WAS HANDCUFFED (DOUBLE LOCKED) BEHIND THE BACK AND SECURED IN THE REAR OF MY PATROL VEHICLE. ANIMAL CONTROL WAS ON SCENE AND WILL BE EXHUMING THE BODY OF RIPPER FOR A NECROPSY TO CONFIRM THE CAUSE OF DEATH. THE DEFENDANT WAS THEN TRANSPORTED TO the CITRUS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY FOR BOOKING AND PROCESSING. THE DEFENDANT'S BOND WAS SET AT $2,000.00 PER THE BOND SCHEDULE. |
