MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A Chaska man faces charges of assault, making terroristic threats and mistreating animals after he allegedly beat his girlfriend, bit part of her ear off, threatened to kill her several times, and dismembered her cat in the apartment living room.

Michael Trudeau, 51, is charged with one count of first-degree assault, two counts of terroristic threats and one count of mistreating animals. The charges stem from an incident on Sunday that led to Trudeau being shocked with a stun gun and arrested.

According to a criminal complaint, police officers in Chaska responded that night to the Cedar Creek Apartments on a domestic assault call. When they arrived, officers found a 42-year-old woman covered in blood, shaking and cowering in the corner.

The woman told police that Trudeau, whom she’d been dating for about two years, had severely beaten her after drinking vodka all afternoon. She said that Trudeau assaulted her while the two were arguing about their relationship. He reportedly choked her, slammed her head onto the ground and told her repeatedly she was “going to die tonight.”

She said she lost consciousness several times throughout the assault.

At one point, Trudeau allegedly tried to shove an umbrella down the woman’s throat. The woman said she retaliated by biting down on his finger, and that’s when Trudeau leaned over and bit off part of the woman’s ear before spitting it out in front of her.

After five hours of surgery, the woman’s ear was not able to be re-attached, the complaint states. She also suffered a displaced retina, from when Trudeau allegedly gouged her eyes.

The woman told police she was only able to escape the beating after bargaining with Trudeau.

She said she’d been afraid of him for weeks, ever since Trudeau killed her cat in the middle of the living room. He’d allegedly lit the cat on fire, choked it to death and cut its head off with kitchen scissors. The woman said Trudeau threatened he could do the same to her.

The complaint states that officers arrested Trudeau in the apartment where the assault took place. They found him covered in blood, and he appeared as though he was going to engage officers. When it looked like he was searching for a weapon, officers used a stun gun to shock him. Trudeau was described as “extremely agitated,” and said he wanted the officers to shoot him.

He is currently in custody. If convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of 34 years in prison and/or a $60,000 fine.

Trudeau has previously been convicted of torturing an animal and domestic assault by strangulation.