NEW CASTLE, Ind. -- A veteran who told police he has been struggling with “anger issues” was arrested Tuesday for allegedly trying to kill his family’s cat with his bare hands.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Department received a call around 12:45 a.m. Tuesday of a reported problem with an animal in the 1900 block of East County Road 400 South near New Castle.
The caller said her husband had become highly intoxicated during an argument over the family’s dog, which had gone missing during the evening’s thunderstorms.
Deputies arrived to find 26-year-old Jesse Lee Tyler visibly intoxicated.
His wife told police that her mother, who also lives at the home, had seen Tyler take the kitten out of its cage, place its bodies between his knees and then “squeeze and twist” the kitten’s neck.
Tyler’s wife told police her husband had been “suffering and struggling with anger issues,” and Tyler himself later confided without prompting that he had been struggling with anger. Tyler also told police he currently attends the Veterans Administration for other issues, but not to address his anger.
Tyler was booked into the Henry County Jail Tuesday morning on a preliminary charge of cruelty to animals, a class “A” misdemeanor.
The U.S. Veterans Administration says anger is a “core piece” of the survival response in human beings and is a common issue veterans face upon returning from service, particularly if they are suffering from PTSD.
The VA offers counseling and mental health services for all veterans, and has points of contact in all 92 Indiana counties. If you or a loved one are a veteran suffering from anger or other issues, visit the Indiana VA’s website to see where help is available near you.
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