An Oil City man accused of burning his ex-girlfriend’s belongings and killing a cat last week waived his preliminary hearing in the case Wednesday in Venango County Central Court.
Charges filed against Jayson Rogers, 24, will now be bound over for further proceedings in the Court of Common Pleas.
Rogers is facing a first-degree felony count of arson, misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, and a summary count of public drunkenness in connection with an incident on Dec. 12.
A criminal complaint filed through District Judge Andrew Fish’s office said Oil City’s police and fire departments were sent to the 200 block of Hoffman Avenue just before 2 a.m. after receiving reports of a fire.
Upon arriving on the scene, emergency personnel located a number of burned items near the steps of the front porch, the complaint said.
Officers then spoke with Rogers who was the first-floor tenant, the complaint said.
Rogers said he was burning his ex-girlfriend’s belongings because she had called the police earlier during an argument, the complaint said.
Oil City police Chief Bob Wenner said the woman had left the home after the initial incident because she feared for her safety.
Police told Rogers he was under arrest, but he began to resist and tried to jump off the porch over a railing, the complaint said.
Rogers continued to roll around on top of the railing and again on the floor until police used a taser to take him into custody, the complaint said.
While being escorted to the car, Rogers struggled with officers and a member of the fire department, causing them to slide down the embankment in front of the residence, the complaint said.
A press release issued by Oil City police also said Rogers killed a cat in the home and injured a second one.
The cats were seen by police alive and well when they responded to the initial domestic incident, the complaint said.
Rogers remains in the Venango County jail on $50,000 bail.
