A Roxbury man was arraigned today after he allegedly threw two of his wife’s kittens out of their second-floor window early this morning, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

THOMAS GONZALES (D.O.B. 5/28/64) was charged with animal cruelty and resisting arrest for his alleged actions inside the Blue Hill Avenue apartment he shares with his 48-year-old wife. Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Tynes, chief of Conley’s Roxbury District Court staff, recommended that he be held on $3,000 and have his open bail on an unrelated drug charge revoked; Judge David Weingarten set bail at $750 and declined to revoke Gonzales’ bail.

Boston Police responded to the building just after 12:30 this morning to find Gonzales hanging out the second floor window and screaming. His wife, who was clutching one of the felines, was crying hysterically in the building’s common hallway. The officers asked him if he had in fact thrown any kittens out the window, as they had been informed in a radio call.

“Yeah, I threw the [expletive] cats out the window,” Gonzales shouted in return.
When told to open the apartment door, he allegedly told the officers to “kick it in” and “do what you have to do.”

Mindful of Gonzales’ statements behavior up to that point, his wife’s obvious fright, and the missing second kitten, the officers did just that. Upon entry in the apartment, the officers realized that he had barricaded the door with a dresser and coffee table.

Gonzales allegedly took an aggressive stance, screaming with both hands up, when the officers entered. After a struggle, they were able to restrain him and take him into custody.

After Gonzales was transported to the District B-2 station for booking, another woman present at the scene stated that she’d seen Gonzales throw two kittens out the window. One of them, she said, landed on a wooden fence, bounced off into the yard, and ran away. Gonzales’ wife corroborated those statements at first but later began to recant her statements.

The missing kitten was soon recovered by an animal inspector. Both kittens were assessed at the scene and found to be in good health. They were left in the custody of Gonzales’ wife.

Gonzales’ arrest comes as Massachusetts lawmakers weigh proposals to extend protection to pets under the state’s domestic violence and restraining order laws. One bill would provide courts the authority to order defendants to stay away from and not abuse an animal owned or kept by a restraining order plaintiff.
Conley urged victims of any crime, including domestic violence, to call 911 in an emergency. SafeLink, a statewide DV hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020. SafeLink is answered by trained advocates 24 hours a day in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as TTY at 877-521-2601. It also has the capacity to provide multilingual translation in more than 140 languages.

Gonzales was represented by attorney Mark Chamblee. He will return to court on Oct. 25.