Lawyer: Pa. pepper-spray suspect allergic to cats

BELLWOOD, Pa. (AP) — The attorney for a 68-year-old central Pennsylvania man says his client pepper sprayed his wife when she brought home a kitten because he had told her he was allergic to cats.

Attorney Theodore Krol says Dale Stehley, of Bellwood, knows what he did was wrong and “over the top.”

The Altoona Mirror reports Stehley had been drinking before his wife brought home the pet about 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Police in Bellwood, about 90 miles east of Pittsburgh, say Stehley slapped the woman before pepper spraying her after cursing her out about the kitten.

Police say Stehley’s wife had to be treated for chest pains.

Stehley faces a preliminary hearing Aug. 7 on charges of simple assault, reckless endangerment and harassment. Krol says he’s hoping to resolve the charges through a first-offender’s probation program.