Fargo man accused of domestic assault, killing kitten in microwave

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A man has been arrested after an alleged domestic assault, and is also accused of killing a kitten by putting it in a microwave.

Carlos Perez is charged in Cass County Court with felony counts of aggravated assault, terrorizing and animal cruelty, as well as two misdemeanor counts of domestic violence and one misdemeanor count of interference with an emergency call.

According to court documents, Fargo Police were called to a home on Sunday, September 3. A woman said Perez became upset with her because she was at work later than anticipated and he needed to use her phone. She told officers that the altercation became physical and Perez slapper her in the face, cutting her lip.

Perez then tried to lock her in a closet, according to court documents, but the woman kicked the closet door open, hitting him in the face. She said this made Perez more angry. When she tried to call 911, the victim says Perez grabbed the phone and broke it.

The victim told officers she and Perez got into another fight about the phone and said Perez smashed her phone on some rocks. During the interview with officers, the victim said she had been involved in two other domestic violence incidents with Perez over the last couple of weeks.

According to court documents, the woman had to receive stitches at the emergency room after getting cut with a knife Perez was swinging at her. She also told officers she was punched in the face and injured her arm during one of the arguments. Officers noted visible bruising on the woman’s cheek, eye and arm.

The woman said Perez became upset when she didn’t come home at a time that he deemed appropriate, and he took a picture holding her cat on the burner of a stove. According to court documents, Perez took the same kitten into the bathroom and hit it over the head with a speaker. The kitten started to have a seizure, so he tried to choke it, according to the victim’s statements. She told officers that when Perez wasn’t able to kill the kitten, he burned the kitten’s paw with a lighter and placed it in the microwave, eventually killing it.

Officers say Perez threw the kitten’s remains in a nearby dumpster and threatened the woman “that would happen to her next.” The victim told officers Perez has made past threats of killing her and her family, which is why she hasn’t reported him to law enforcement before now.

Perez was arrested by Fargo Police Officers. When asked how the woman received her injuries, Perez told officers “I was mad,” court documents state.

Carlos Perez appeared in Cass County Court on Tuesday, September 5, where bond was set at $20,000 cash. He has also been ordered not to be around pets or in the same room as pets.

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