Bellingham man who physically abused, bit woman’s cat sent to jail
A 29-year-old Bellingham man who repeatedly injured a cat as a way to control his then-partner will spend a little more than a month in jail.
Kapier Akana Robinson was sentenced Jan. 16 in Whatcom County Superior Court to 364 days in jail, with 319 suspended. He pleaded guilty the same day to an amended charge of second-degree animal cruelty, a gross misdemeanor.
Robinson was previously charged with first-degree animal cruelty, a felony, but his charge was reduced as part of a plea deal between the prosecuting and defense attorneys, according to court records.
As part of Robinson’s sentencing, he will be required to serve 45 days in the Whatcom County Jail and will have to pay restitution arising from the medical care and treatment provided to the cat. He also is required to surrender any concealed pistol licenses he possesses and is prohibited by state law from owning, caring for, possessing, or living with any animals for two years, court documents show.
Robinson was expected to report to the jail by Friday afternoon, Jan. 19, to begin serving his sentence.
A post-conviction no-contact order was not put in place between Robinson and the cat’s owner.
The incident
In early October 2021, a woman reported Robinson to the Bellingham Police Department for acts of domestic violence and animal abuse.
The woman told police that she and Robinson got into an argument in an apartment in the 1400 block of Birchwood Avenue on Oct. 10, 2021, and Robinson threatened to drown her cat, Obi, in the bathtub. Robinson held the cat in the bathtub while the water was running, but the cat was not injured in this specific incident, The Bellingham Herald previously reported.
The woman ultimately fled the apartment with the cat. When she returned, she found the bathroom door was broken off at the hinges and the doorknob had broken through the drywall, which accounted for a loud bang she had heard while fleeing with the cat, The Herald previously reported.
The woman also showed police text messages she had received from Robinson on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10 in which Robinson threatened to harm the cat. Misdemeanor charges were initially filed in Bellingham Municipal Court following this incident, court documents state.
Three days later, during a follow-up interview with police, the woman disclosed additional acts of abuse that Robinson committed against the cat. The woman told police she got the cat roughly three months prior.
In that three-month time frame, the woman told police that on previous occasions Robinson had held Obi by the neck, hit him in the face, intentionally stepped on him while wearing shoes, kicked him, and bit him on the ears and other parts of his body, according to court records.
The woman told police she would tell Robinson to stop hurting the cat, but he wouldn’t listen. She said Robinson would hold the cat until “it ‘freaked out’ and then he would bite the cat on the ears,” court documents state.
The woman told police Robinson bit Obi hard enough to draw blood, and that Obi had visible scarring on his ears from Robinson biting him. A detective who looked at photos of the cat was able to observe white marks on Obi’s ears that resembled human teeth marks, records show.
The woman told police that when she would tell Robinson to stop biting the cat’s ears, Robinson would just bite a different part of the cat’s body.
The woman said she believed that Robinson was hurting the cat “as a way of exerting control over her,” according to court records.
When Robinson returned to the apartment, he allegedly failed to comply with law enforcement’s commands and was displaying aggressive behavior. Police officers drew a taser and told Robinson that if he didn’t comply, they would use it.
Robinson complied and was arrested and taken into custody, The Herald previously reported.
Escalating violence
Robinson was released on his personal recognizance at his first appearance hearing in Superior Court in January 2022.
In December of that year, prosecutors filed a motion to impose bail in the animal cruelty case for Robinson based on escalating domestic violence perpetrated against the woman.
Prosecutors found that Robinson had pleaded guilty in a separate case in Bellingham Municipal Court that also involved Robinson and the woman.
Robinson pleaded guilty Dec. 6, 2022 in Bellingham Municipal Court to violation of a no-contact order (domestic violence) and third-degree malicious mischief (domestic violence). The no-contact order that was in place in the case between Robinson and the woman was rescinded at the time of Robinson’s guilty plea, court records state.
Two days later, on Dec. 8, 2022, Robinson was arrested on suspicion of fourth-degree assault (domestic violence) for allegedly assaulting the woman while she was trying to leave her apartment with her infant child. Robinson was charged in Bellingham Municipal Court and a domestic violence no-contact order was put in place between Robinson and the woman on Dec. 9, 2022.
Robinson pleaded guilty in that case on May 9, 2023, and was put on probation for five years, according to Bellingham Municipal Court officials. He had a probation violation hearing Jan. 4 and has a follow-up hearing scheduled for Feb. 8. It’s possible the Feb. 8 hearing will be canceled if Robinson is in compliance with his probation, court officials said.
Prosecutors also reviewed Robinson’s phone calls from the Whatcom County Jail after his December 2022 arrest and found that he had called the woman multiple times, violating the no-contact order between them, court documents show.
Robinson’s bail was then increased to $3,000 with a $300 cash alternative in the animal cruelty case at a Superior Court hearing on Dec. 15, 2022. A domestic violence no-contact order was also put in place between Robinson and the woman in that case.
Jail records show Robinson was released the same day after posting a $5,000 bond, which stemmed from his Municipal Court case.
His animal cruelty case was then continued multiple times until his plea and sentencing hearing earlier this week, court documents show.
Resources
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org
Brigid Collins Family Support Center professionals are on-call between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer questions about children, families, abuse prevention or treatment at (360) 734-4616.
▪ Child Protective Services: Washington state hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, 866-829-2153.
▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.
▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.
▪ Tl’ils Ta’á’altha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/
▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.
▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.
If you or a child is in immediate danger, call 911 and make a report to law enforcement.
To report child abuse or neglect call 1-866-END HARM.
This story was originally published January 19, 2024 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Bellingham man who physically abused, bit woman’s cat sent to jail."
