PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria man has been charged with Aggravated Cruelty to Animals after allegedly killing his girlfriend’s cats during a mental health crisis.
A judge denied detaining 22-year-old Gabriel Brooks at a hearing on Friday. The reasoning included his voluntary commitment to a mental health facility, a desire for more treatment, and a lack of a criminal history.
The Peoria County State’s Attorney’s Office says Brooks’ girlfriend returned from work the night of April 9th, finding three of her cats dead on the living room floor, with blood found in the bedroom she shared with Brooks. She told police that Brooks was the only person at home when she was at work.
Brooks was reportedly not presented when officers arrived. The girlfriend then called police again after Brooks had contacted her.
The girlfriend stated that Brooks told her he reportedly took a bunch of pills and stated he was going to drown himself in the Illinois River because of what he did. He was found by police walking out of the river.
Brooks was taken in for a mental health evaluation at a local hospital, then to a mental health facility in Knox County. He was arrested after being released from there on Thursday.
Brooks’ release from custody comes with conditions that include a return to the mental health facility and complying with treatment, GPS electronic monitoring, having no contact with the victim or any companion animals, and providing residency where a curfew can be enforced if he was released from treatment.
