Nopoulos gets probation for torturing cat

A West Liberty man who has pleaded guilty to torturing his roommate's cat has received two years of probation for animal torture and 30 days in jail for drunken driving.

Leo Nopoulos, 21, had admitted his guilt in all charges but claimed he was under the influence of drugs in October 2014 when he was arrested and charged with torturing his roommate's cat. He was arrested again in May for drunken driving and was found to be in possession of cocaine, a crime to which he also admitted.

In his defense, his lawyer, Joseph Moreland, emphasized Nopoulos' progress in multiple rehabilitation programs and his six months of sobriety following his first arrest, and said Nopoulos was an Eagle Scout who grew up on a farm with cats.

But, he said he recognized the gravity of his client's crime.

"Nothing that I say here today is intended to justify the unjustifiable," Moreland said.

Nopoulos himself admitted to multiple years of drug use at the sentencing, saying he had failed to recognize the extent of his addiction.

"I'm completely beside myself with remorse and sorrow," Nopoulos said at the sentencing. "I'm not a violent person at all."

Last fall, a video of Nopoulos given to the Iowa City Police Department by the cat's owner, Nathan Schloss, showed Nopoulos abusing a cat named Fritz for more than three hours. According to police complaints, Nopoulos threw the cat against the ceiling, punched and kicked the cat, and hit the cat with a can of air freshener and a remote control.

Schloss, 23, was later charged with 18 counts of sexual abuse and 22 counts of invasion of privacy. Police discovered videos of Schloss allegedly engaging in sexual acts with visibly incapacitated women on the hard drive that Schloss had given to police to show them the video of Nopoulos torturing his cat.

At the sentencing, Moreland called Bettendorf-based substance abuse counselor Jeff Ribble, who has worked with Nopoulos, as a witness to Nopoulos' recovery.

"I think he has taken it very seriously and he has progressed in his understanding of what he's dealing with," Ribble said of Nopoulos' treatment.

Ribble said a cocaine-induced psychosis explained Nopoulos' actions in torturing the cat, and advised against sending him to prison for an extended period of time.

"Two years in prison, or any type of long-term incarceration like that would work against treating his disease," Ribble said.

Moreland did admit that a short time in jail would be motivation for Nopoulos to continue his recovery.

"We do think it's appropriate under these circumstances that Leo see what the inside of a jail looks like," Moreland said.

Judge Sylvia Lewis expressed concern that Nopoulos' actions could indicate a danger to other animals or people, and that he had relapsed while his case was still pending.

"I do believe that the capacity to find pleasure in torturing a helpless animal is a very troubling character issue," she said.

He was sentenced to 30 days in jail for operating while intoxicated, but received a two-year suspended sentence for charges of animal torture and animal abuse, which he will not serve as long as he complies with two years of supervised probation. He was taken into custody following the hearing.

Reach Stephen Gruber-Miller at 319-887-5407 or sgrubermil@press-citizen.com. Follow him at @sgrubermiller