Scott M. Turner is already on trial for allegedly hurling a neighbor's kitten against a wall and killing it. Now he is charged with threatening the neighbor, telling her, "You better not show up for court ... if you know what's good for you."
Turner, 29, of St. Paul, was charged Monday in Ramsey County District Court with terroristic threats and tampering with a witness. He is on trial before District Judge Margaret (Peg) Marrinan on charges of animal cruelty and obstruction of legal process.
According to court documents, Turner's pregnant girlfriend occasionally asked their neighbor if she could borrow her kitten named Nilla. The neighbor agreed because it made the girlfriend happy.
Nilla was there on May 12 when Turner and his girlfriend argued. When she refused to return the kitten to its owner, Turner picked it up and threw it against a wall. The kitten's owner took it to an emergency clinic, but the 23-week-old shorthair had to be destroyed.
Turner kicked and punched officers and had to be sprayed with a chemical irritant before he was arrested, police said.
The latest charges said that on July 27, Turner accosted the neighbor in the laundry room of their apartment building in the 1000 block of Suburban Avenue, telling her, "The same thing that happened to your cat can happen to you."
The complaint said the neighbor is "very intimidated and frightened by Turner and is seeking a new place to live as a result of this fear."
PAT PHEIFER
