UPDATE

A man is behind bars after allegedly killing a kitten in a cruel and inhumane way.

WDTV spoke to the state trooper who was dispatched to the scene. We want to warn you that the details of this case are disturbing before you read further.

"The cat itself looked flat," said Trooper Carlton Smith.

This is what he walked into on October 19th after a complaint regarding a case of animal abuse.

"When I arrived on scene, there were several people outside and there was a small kitten in a box, it wasn't breathing, it wasn't moving, and its body appeared to be flattened," explained Smith.

The person who made the complaint call informed Smith that his neighbor and his neighbor's boyfriend, Eric Lyons, had got into an argument.

Smith described that "during the course of that argument, for whatever reason, Eric Lyons decided to pick up a cinder block and slam it down on the kitten that was at the house."

The neighbor told Smith that he had not seen anything happen, but called about what he had heard.

"He heard the neighbor next door yell 'don't you hurt that cat' and then he said he heard a loud thud."

This is when the neighbor walked outside to find the kitten lying dead.

Smith says that the kitten, along with many other cats, belong to another house nearby, but would often go to the neighbor's house for food and playtime.

"The cats come over to her house, Mr. Lyons doesn't live there, it's her trailer next door, and the cats come over there sometimes and she feeds them and they just kind of play around over there."

Smith added that he tries to keep his personal feelings out of his professional work, but says the scene he encountered when investigating was disheartening.

"If you had just seen how small the cat was, I mean it probably could have fit in the palm of my hand and it just was lifeless and it was disheartening to see."

Especially now that Congress has passed a bill just this past month banning extreme cruelty to animals, which specifically mentions crushing.

Lyons is currently being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail for malicious killing of an animal on a 35-thousand dollar bond.

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ORIGINAL STORY

A Preston County man was arrested after he allegedly killed a kitten with a cinder block.

According to the criminal complaint, troopers were dispatched to a lot on the 200 block of Morgan Street Oct. 19 for a humane complaint. The Preston County 911 Center said a man smashed a kitten with a brick.

The 911 Center said the person who filed the complaint knew who the man was and identified him as Eric Lyons, court documents state.

Troopers met with the complainant, who said he heard arguing outside with Lyons and resident in the trailer next door. He said he heard the resident scream, "you better not hurt that cat!"

The complainant said he heard a loud thud, according to the complaint. When he went outside, he saw a kitten had been smashed by a concrete cinder block and Lyons leaving the scene.

The complainant said he didn't witness anything but called 911 anyways because the kitten belong to his cousin, the victim, troopers say.

The resident told troopers that she and Lyons were arguing when he picked up the cinder block and turned towards one of the kittens. She said she yelled at him not to hurt the cat, but he threw the cinder block down at the kitten, smashing it.

The resident said that the kitten immediately stopped moving, and its breathing became very rapid and shallow, court documents state. The kitten then stopped breathing.

Troopers spoke with the victim who said he was unaware of what happened. He said that when he left his trailer, the kitten was alive.

The victim told troopers he returned home after he got a call from the complainant. He found his kitten dead.

Troopers examined the scene and found a small kitten, which had been placed into a box. The kitten was visibly dead.

Troopers also found the cinder block.

Trooper obtained a warrant for Lyons' arrest.

Lyons has been charged with cruelty to animals. He is being held at Tygart Valley Regional Jail with his bail set at $35,000.