DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. (WFLA) — A DeFuniak Springs man was arrested this week after deputies said they learned he had been setting traps for feral cats and then, on at least one occasion, killing them.
Deputies began an investigation on Tuesday, July 29, after a neighbor living on West Violent Lane reported smelling a foul odor coming from a trash can, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said.
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The caller also reported seeing “numerous” cat traps in the area, according to authorities.
The trash can had been placed by the road early that morning. Deputies looked inside and said they found a dead cat inside of a bag. Investigators said the cat was covered in blood and appeared to have a large, swollen contusion on the side of its head.
Deputies noticed two armed and baited animal traps near the property’s fence line as they were looking around the area, according to the sheriff’s office.
A gate was blocking off the entrance to the home, but deputies said they were able to contact the man living there, Richard Steven Taylor, 64, over the phone.
When asked about the traps, deputies said Taylor argued he had done nothing wrong and told them he was allowed to set them out since “the cats are pests.”
He told deputies he had been putting out traps for the last 10 years to catch feral cats and said he “kills the ****** things when [he] catches them,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies said Taylor became “increasingly agitated” while talking to them. They eventually asked him to come out and speak with them in person. He did so, wearing only his underwear, according to authorities.
Several minutes passed as Taylor “berated deputies using profanity, calling them names, and making threats,” the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies informed Taylor they were placing him under arrest, but said he refused to exit his fence several times. Authorities said he gave into their commands after they allowed him to put more clothes on.
Taylor was charged with aggravated animal cruelty causing death, threatening a first responder with physical harm, and obstruction without violence. He was booked into the Walton County Jail and was later released on a $21,000 bond.
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