Cat killings suspect no danger, judge says

MIAMI, June 17 (UPI) -- A Miami man accused of killing and mutilating 19 cats was released on bond Wednesday after a judge ruled he posed no danger.

Tyler Weinman, 18, will be placed under house arrest and receive psychiatric counseling twice a week, The Miami Herald reported.

''The psychiatric evaluation indicates he is competent to proceed," Miami-Dade Circuit Judge John Thornton said. "He does not appear at risk of harming himself or others."

The killings of cats had alarmed and terrified residents, some of whom expressed relief a suspect had been arrested.

Weinman was charged Sunday with 19 counts of felony animal cruelty, 19 counts of improperly disposing of an animal body and four counts of burglary. He posted $249,500 bond Tuesday but was held pending results of a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation.

Michael Walsh, a lawyer representing Weinman, called his client "an innocent man" and said police had no evidence implicating him.

Weinman's father, Douglas Weinman, told reporters his son was not the cat killer.

''We are cat owners ourselves," the father said. "We certainly sympathize with the grief of the other pet owners. We are sympathetic with them, but it is not our son."