A text message allegedly sent from Rashawn Bentley to his girlfriend reading, “I just beat your cat again. She can’t walk. We’re done,” sits at the center of felony animal cruelty charges filed against the Indianapolis man. Court documents describe photos sent afterward showing the cat following the alleged beating, along with a response from IMPD officers and Indiana Animal Care Services to an apartment on the city’s northwest side.
Officers Find Cat Bleeding, Missing Hair
According to WTHR, Bentley was charged with killing a domestic animal, a Level 6 felony, along with two additional Level 6 felony counts of torturing or mutilating an animal. Court documents allege that Bentley tortured and killed his partner’s cat, the station reported.
IMPD officers and Indiana Animal Care Services responded to an animal-abuse report at the 2100 block of Waterford Place, near Westlane Road and Michigan Road, on May 5, 2026, per the station’s report. Officials who arrived found the cat bleeding and missing some of its hair, the outlet reported. An Indiana Animal Care Services officer believed the cat was in pain, though court documents noted the officer found no obvious musculoskeletal or bone-and-muscle injuries, according to the same account.
Girlfriend Told Detectives About Dispute Over Accidents
Bentley’s girlfriend told detectives that he was upset because the cat had accidents in the house and she had forgotten to clean up the mess, court documents state, per the outlet’s reporting. Detectives came to believe Bentley had committed animal cruelty and false informing, the report notes, pointing to inconsistencies in what he told investigators.
Bentley reportedly told detectives he had let a person he believed was a maintenance worker into the apartment while he took out the trash, and he also reported money stolen from his wallet along with a separate theft allegedly occurring in the same apartment. He additionally told detectives that a veterinarian declared the cat dead and advised euthanasia, the station reported. When asked, per official documents, why he did not report an alleged May 7 incident to police, Bentley said he did not know how to make the right approach.
Charges Carry Felony Weight Under Indiana Law
The charges against Bentley fall under Indiana Code 35-46-3-12, which covers torture or mutilation of a vertebrate animal and the killing of a domestic animal, according to Indiana Administrative Rules. The underlying animal-cruelty statute can be reviewed in full through the Indiana General Assembly’s published code chapter.
The case remains an active one on the northwest side, where neighbors near Waterford Place first alerted officials to the alleged abuse. Court documents reviewed by the station lay out the conflicting accounts Bentley gave investigators, even as the underlying texts and photos described in the filings point toward the felony counts now pending against him.
