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WARREN — Bond was set at $200,000 for a Liberty man arrested after allegedly sending threatening texts to an ex-girlfriend and going to retrieve an animal.
Dante Pennachio, 39, pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of aggravated burglary in front of Warren Municipal Court Judge Natasha Natale Monday morning.
According to a police report, officers were called to a Merriweather Street residence Saturday for a disturbance and saw a white Toyota Camry trying to pull out of the driveway.
Pennachio, the driver, was detained and put in a police cruiser while an officer spoke with a woman.
The woman told the officer that Pennachio had been sending her threatening text messages over the past few days and that they used to be in a relationship but broke up, but they never lived together at the residence, according to the report.
The report states Pennachio was upset over a squirrel, their shared animal, who she was keeping until she turned it over to the Humane Society.
The report states the woman was downstairs when she heard a commotion at the front door and turned around to find Pennachio downstairs with her, and she yelled at him to get out of the house.
Pennachio allegedly refused and began gathering belongings he claimed were his, which he gifted to the woman during their relationship, but wanted back.
The woman told Pennachio to leave, and he then tried retrieving the squirrel from its cage, leading the woman to step between him and the animal and tell Pennachio he wasn’t allowed to have it.
The report states Pennachio grabbed the woman and flung her to the ground and she hit her elbow and butt on the floor, and a struggle ensued, leading her to punch and kick Pennachio, but he still retrieved the squirrel and left the residence.
Pennachio told an officer that he went into the woman’s place to retrieve his belongings and the squirrel, adding that the front door was unlocked, so he walked into the house.
Pennachio told the officer that the woman began punching and kicking him, causing him to defend himself, according to the report.
Pennachio is set to appear back in court Thursday, court records show.