By: Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A Stillwater woman, who twice failed to appear in court as ordered, has been re-arrested and jailed on $20,000 bail pending her arraignment Wednesday on a charge of throwing a cat from the second story of her apartment complex on Memorial Day.
If convicted of animal cruelty, Taylor Breanne Davis, 21, could be given as much as a five-year prison term and a $5,000 fine, court records show.
Davis was originally arrested on May 25 at 7:49 pm by Stillwater Police Officer Cory Westbrook, who was sent to her apartment 11 minutes earlier on a domestic investigation, his affidavit said.
Her ex-boyfriend said “he and his ex-girlfriend, Taylor Breanne Davis, had broken up, but they each were unable to afford a new place to live in. Therefore, they decided to remain living together. (He) stated they continued to get into arguments and Davis now had broken most of what he owned at his home.
“He stated Davis had broken the television and many other items within the home. He stated that she had recently smashed out his windshield on his car. (He) described Davis as mentally unstable with extreme anger issues…(He) advised me that he only wanted help in calming Davis and that he did not wish to prosecute on any charge relating to property destruction,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
At the apartment, the officer alleged, “She continued to scream and would not calm down as I had asked her to do. I found Davis to be very aggressive and confrontational. She did not wish to work through any issues and continually berated,” her ex-boyfriend and the police.
Her ex-boyfriend “stated he did not know what to do and he just wanted to be at home in peace. I offered him a few options, which included leaving temporarily until Davis was able to calm down,” which he decided he wanted to do, the affidavit said.
“Davis immediately exited the apartment in order to keep (her ex-boyfriend) from leaving. She stood in front of his car as she stated he was not leaving without her and that he could not legally drive his car on the road. She stood in his way as he attempted to place items in his passenger seat. She then stood in his way as he attempted to enter his driver’s door.
“She punched one of the windows as he told her he was leaving until she could calm down. It should be noted that as (he) attempted to leave the area in his car, I was able to hear Davis state, ‘Fine then, I will just go kill your cat.’ She immediately turned her back and walked back to her apartment. She walked up the apartment stairs and into her second-story apartment.
“Due to her actions and previous statements, I was concerned for her welfare as well as any animals within the residence. Officer Rudluff left the area at the same time as (her ex-boyfriend). As I turned to leave, I made a circle in the parking lot and returned to where I could observe her second-story apartment,” the officer wrote in his affidavit.
“Approximately one minute later, I observe the door to Davis’s apartment open. I see Davis throw the already broken television down the stairwell. I then observed Davis enter her apartment and leave my view. Moments later, I observed Davis exit the apartment. I observe Davis and (her ex-boyfriend’s) black and gray cat in her right hand.
“She then held the cat over the railing and dropped the cat to the ground in one motion and without hesitation. The cat landed hard on its four feet/stomach area. I was able to observe that the cat was frightened. The cat seemed to collect itself as it was disoriented and it looked back up to the apartment area where Davis was standing. The cat did not make any noises that I was able to hear and it appeared to walk toward a downstairs neighbor’s door.
“I was unsure if the cat was injured, but it appeared to be moving slowly. Davis walked down the stairs and retrieved the cat as she walked back up the stairwell with it in her hands,” the officer wrote in his affidavit.
“I exited my patrol car and began to walk toward Davis’s apartment. At this time, Officer Rudluff arrived on scene and I advised him that I had witnessed Davis throw the cat over the railing of the second-story apartment…As I approached the stairwell, I observed Davis at the top of the stairs. I advised her she was under arrest for animal cruelty and ordered her to turn around. She stated she didn’t do anything, but let her cat go outside to pee. She refused to turn around. I grabbed her left wrist with my left hand and assisted her in turning around,” before putting wrist restraints on her, the officer wrote in his affidavit.
“Davis stated that I had no proof and had not seen anything. I advised her that I had circled my car back around and watched her throw the television and cat from the top of the stairs. She stated that I had left and didn’t see anything,” the officer wrote in his affidavit.
“I then escorted Davis to my patrol car where she was placed in the back seat. My in-car WatchGuard camera system was activated as she made several spontaneous utterances from within my patrol car,” the officer wrote in his affidavit.
After her ex-boyfriend was told about the incident involving the cat and asked to return to the residence, “he stated that he could tell the cat was not acting itself,” the affidavit said. He said the cat was about nine months old, adopted from the animal shelter, and “was now skiddish, which was abnormal,” the affidavit said.
Advised that it would be in the cat’s best interest to be taken to a veterinary hospital, “He stated he would like to keep a close eye on the cat and care for it before taking it to a veterinary hospital,” the affidavit said. “He stated the cat had never urinated or pooped outside,” but used a litter box in the bathroom, the affidavit said.
While she was being transported to jail, “Davis continued yelling within my patrol car,” the officer wrote in his affidavit.
“I turned the radio on and she stated that she could yell over the radio. During my transport of Davis to the jail, she continued to berate me. I advised her she had gotten herself into the situation she was in. She responded by saying, ‘He deserved it,"” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
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