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VINEYARD — A man accused of drowning a woman's cat and then disposing its body near Payson has been arrested by the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Nathan James Peterson, 24, who police say is homeless, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Monday for investigation of torture of a companion animal and witness tampering.
The investigation began on July 3 when a woman reported an animal cruelty incident that happened in May. Peterson was living with the woman, whom he had had a prior relationship with, in Vineyard at the time, according to a police booking affidavit.
The woman told detectives that Peterson "had drowned her cat in its carrier and then dumped the body on a mountainside. Nathan then sent a GPS location of the cat's body to her," the affidavit states.
The investigating deputy went to the GPS location and found the remains of a cat wrapped in a towel.
On Monday, the deputy was able to track down Peterson and question him.
"Nathan explained to me that he had returned home from work and observed that the cat smelled of urine and that upset him," according to the affidavit. "He stated that he filled a bathtub with water, making sure that it was warm because he didn't want the cat to be cold, and then placed the cat inside its crate and put the crate in the bathtub."
After killing the cat and dumping its body, Peterson sent text messages to the woman "where he appears to be pleading with her to not file charges."
Peterson was arrested at the conclusion of the interview with the sheriff's deputy.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
