CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich., March 18 (UPI) -- A Michigan man was released on bond Thursday after being charged with allegedly breaking the bones of two cats and burning them with a cigarette.

Edward Baker, 19, was the live-in boyfriend of Kim Steis' 17-year-old daughter, WDIV-TV Detroit reported Thursday.

"I caught him in the laundry room tormenting my cat," Steis said. She discovered the abuse of her cats in February, when her 10-year-old orange tabby cat had a bloody mouth and was on her back.

The cat's bottom jaw was reconstructed, her upper jaw was cracked, she had bruised eyes and a broken sternum.

The cat's 2-year-old daughter walks with a limp because of a pin in her leg and burns on her paw pads.

Baker was arraigned in Clinton Township District Court and was released after posting a $15,000 bond. He has been ordered to stay away from the cats, but Steis said he is still dating her daughter.

If Baker is found guilty of animal cruelty charges, he could face four years imprisonment.

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-brea...80040-3795r.htm