A Frazee man is facing second and fifth-degree assault charges after threatening two people with a knife during an argument that began with a cat bite on New Year’s Day.

Frazee Police responded to a disturbance call at the 500 block of Balsam Avenue on Thursday, Jan. 1. Both victims told officers Damon threatened to kill them with a knife during a dispute about a cat at the residence.

James Allen Damon, 39, was charged on Friday, Jan. 2, with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of fifth-degree assault, according to a criminal complaint filed in Becker County District Court. 

According to court records, the cat bit one of the victims, which led to an argument about the cat’s vaccination status. The victims claimed the cat should be put down, which enraged Damon.

“I will put you down,” Damon allegedly told one victim while grabbing a knife. He then stated, “the cat comes before anyone else.”

One victim told investigators Damon pointed the knife at both of them and threatened to stab him if he did not back up, according to the complaint. Damon was also upset that the victims had thrown out a table and couch.

Damon admitted to the officers that the cat was more important to him than the victims. He denied threatening one victim with the knife. However, he told investigators he would  have used the knife on the second victim, qualifying the usage with the phrase “if he touched me.”

One of the victims told officers that Damon had previously tried to murder him.

Damon was arrested and taken to Becker County Jail and faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and/or a $14,000 fine on the second-degree assault charge. The fifth-degree charges are misdemeanors with a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.