TRAVERSE CITY — -- A Grawn teen will go to trial on a criminal charge that he killed a cat and hung its severed head from his belt buckle.
Jonathan David Cook, 18, waived his preliminary examination Thursday in 86th District Court. Judge Michael J. Haley bound Cook's animal cruelty case over to 13th Circuit Court.
Grand Traverse County prosecutors last month charged Cook with a felony count of killing or torturing animals. The charge came amid a spate of animal killings and disappearances throughout Blair Township, but authorities have yet to tie Cook to the other incidents.
Cook unsuccessfully pleaded with Haley in an attempt to reduce his $50,000 cash bond.
"I'll come back, I swear," Cook said. "I'm not going to flee the community, I swear. I just want to see my kid one last time before all this."
Haley denied the bond reduction, in part, because of Cook's criminal history. He pleaded guilty in October to a marijuana possession charge and also has a juvenile record.
Cook told Grand Traverse sheriff's deputies a cat bit him when he attempted to pet it, so he stabbed the animal to death, police reports show. He denied severing the cat's head, but witnesses told investigators he bragged about doing just that. Cook is accused of stuffing the cat's head in a plastic bag tied to his belt buckle, then showing off the trophy to friends.
"The allegations are disturbing," assistant county Prosecutor Bob Cooney said. "I have a concern for the protection of the public."
Deputies continue to investigate other cat killings and disappearances in the area. Two headless cats were found last winter on a Blair Township snowmobile trail, while another resident found a severed paw near their yard. Neighbors also reported incidents in which skunks, chipmunks and squirrels were cut up and hung from trees and traffic signs.
Cook's mother said she believes her son is innocent and the "real" cat killer remains on the prowl.
"He's been an animal-lover his whole life," Kim Cook said. "I don't believe it is in Jon to kill an animal. I know that there's other people out there doing this."
She said the incident has been difficult for her and her son, who has a 6-month-old son.
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Related Photos
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Jonathan David Cook, 18, of Grawn, waived his preliminary examination Thursday in 86th District Court. He faces a felony count of killing or torturing animals. Record-Eagle/Keith King
Teen set for trial in cat-killing case
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