Arlyn Alvin Groth kicked a cat to death, Winona police say

An unfortunate kitten (not this one, specifically) died after being kicked

Police came to Groth's home in the 600 block of East Fourth Street, on a 911 call that there was an argument in the home. The cops found the house in a state of disarray, and the two-month-old kitten injured. Groth, 46, blamed the injury to the cat on a group of "burglars" who'd broken in. To prove the veracity of his story, Groth led the police to the bathroom and showed them the ceiling. That, he explained, is where those nasty thieves broke in.

That's right. The bathroom ceiling.

By this point the cops were probably beginning to suspect that Groth's story might not add up. Eventually, Groth admitted to police that he kicked the cat while "trashing" his residence. The cat was taken to a veterinarian, who determined that the injuries were bad enough that the kitten needed to be put down.

"The cat was a kitten about two months old. It got kicked by the plant-food-head, and it later died," says Sgt. Chris Nelson, of the Winona police. "I graduated from high school with this joker--he's old enough to know better."

Groth also admitted he'd used plant food, or mephedrone, a designer stimulant that produces similar effects to ecstasy, meth, and cocaine. The drug was made illegal in Minnesota July 1.

The officers cited Groth for misdemeanor animal cruelty.