Chili, N.Y. --- Tuesday morning Luis Gonzalez, 24, was in Chili Town Court before Judge Patrick Pietropaoli when he learned that he now faces a felony indictment.
A Monroe County Grand Jury has voted to indict Gonzalez on at least one felony charge. Gonzalez was arrested last week and currently faces charges of burglary, criminal contempt, mischief, and aggravated harassment.
Court paperwork and witness accounts also suggest that Gonzalez is responsible for the death of an eight week-old kitten that he allegedly kicked during this outburst last Tuesday, June 14th. Gonzalez’s lawyer told 13WHAM News his client denies all of the allegations made against him.
According to authorities Gonzalez broke down the front and back door of his ex-girlfriend’s Chili apartment home during a violent search for his ex.
She was not inside the apartment at the time as she was reportedly at the hospital being treated for injuries related to an entirely separate incident.
A close friend of the victim, who we are not naming for her safety, tells 13WHAM News that she was with Gonzalez’s ex at the hospital that evening and the injury relates back to this ongoing violent relationship she was involved in.
Inside that apartment was a friend of Gonzalez’s ex-girlfriend who tells police Gonzalez broke her cell phone while she was on the phone with 9-1-1 and that he kicked the couple’s eight week-old kitten so hard that it struck the wall nearly as high as the ceiling.
According to that witness Gonzalez than said "I told (her/ex-girlfriend’s name) that I was going to kill that (expletive) cat."
"Our office does take domestic violence very seriously and it's somewhat sad that it's taken a kitten having been killed to get any attention for these victims," Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Laura Vanderbrook said of this case.
"Right now the most important thing is not jumping to conclusions (or) believing that anything has been proven at this point,” Andre Vitale, Luis Gonzalez’s lawyer from the Monroe County Public Defender’s Office said. “Right now everything is being alleged and even though it's been indicted it's still at that status; the truth will actually come out when this case goes to trial and a jury renders a verdict."
Investigators and prosecutors are currently considering a felony-level Aggravated Animal Cruelty charge that can, in some cases, be applied when and if a defendant commits certain acts to further terrorize a victim of domestic violence.
Gonzalez remains in Monroe County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond. 13WHAM News has been informed that his ex-girlfriend is living in a safe and undisclosed location right now.
