Cat had to be put down after man purposely sat on it, documents say

A man is facing charges after allegedly sitting on a cat and threatening the animal's owner. 

A man is facing charges after allegedly sitting on a cat and threatening the animal’s owner.

Dean Tomasello, 53, listed in court documents as a transient, appeared in court Wednesday on a menacing threats charge.

Investigators said in court document a woman reported being harassed and threatened by Tomasello on multiple occasions. Tomasello sent the woman text messages with a skull picture saying he was coming for her and she would die, according to the documents.

The alleged victim also told authorities Tomasello purposely sat on her cat, and that the animal had to be put to sleep due to its injuries.

Tomasello was found to have two out of state warrants and a 2016 conviction for aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and disorderly conduct in New Jersey, according to an arrest affidavit. He also has a history of domestic assaults and protection orders out of multiple states with separate victims, according to the affidavit.

A judge set bond for Tomasello at $10,000.