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Police: Muncie man killed cat and rabbit in wood burning stove, threatened police

Posted at 5:27 PM, Jan 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-24 17:54:31-05

MUNCIE, Ind. -- A Delaware County man is accused of killing his mother's pet rabbit and cat in a wood burning stove and then threatening to kill police. 

Police arrested Clinton Ricker, 32, on Friday after they say he admitted to throwing the rabbit into a wood burning stove and 'possibly' a cat.

Officers responded to a home in the 2000 block of N. Buckles after Ricker's mother called to report that her son had murdered her pets while she was gone.

She told police that Ricker was intoxicated when she left home and when she returned 30 minutes later she found her pet rabbit and cat on fire inside the wood burning stove.

Ricker told police that he had thrown the rabbit into the wood burning stove because it had a tumor and he was killing it 'out of mercy' because it was going to die anyway.

Police say he later admitted that he 'may have' shot a cat with a bb gun and thrown it into the stove as well, but he could not remember.

Ricker then yelled at officers, telling them that he should have "killed them instead."

Ricker was arrested on charges of killing a domestic animal and threats to police officers. Both are felonies. 

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