Targeting Cat Leads To Dog-Stabber's Downfall: Evanston Police

EVANSTON, IL — Over the course of the past month, an Evanston man stabbed a dog, poked a man, tried to cut a woman and threatened to stab a cat, all with the same knife, according to police.

James Collins, 63, of the 1900 block of Dodge Avenue, was arrested Friday by officers dispatched to an afternoon armed robbery attempt in the same downtown block where an elderly couple's dog was stabbed four weeks earlier, police said.

Collins faces four felony charges and a misdemeanor in connection with the Nov. 23 dog stabbing in the 800 block of Church Street and three incidents involving a knife in Evanston over the past week, according to Cmdr. Ryan Glew.

Wednesday evening at the Burger King on Orrington Avenue, Collins came up to a 19-year-old Evanston man and "rubbed a knife on his arm," poking him several times before fleeing the scene, Glew said. The teen was uninjured and Collins was charged with battery.

At the Davis Street CTA Station Thursday afternoon, Collins walked up to a 68-year-old Evanston woman who knew him. He grabbed her by the left hand and tried to slash her wrist, but her wrist was protected by the wool cuff of her sleeve, according to police. Prosecutors charged Collins with one count of aggravated battery and one count of unlawful restraint.

Then, in the incident that led to his arrest, police said Collins approached a 51-year-old Chicago woman in the 800 block of Church Street shortly after 4 p.m. Friday. He demanded her purse and grabbed at a large duffel bag she was carrying, which had her cat inside.

When the woman refused to hand over the bag, Collins threatened to stab both her and the cat, described as a "service feline."

Witnesses called 911 during the struggle and arriving officers took Collins into custody. The woman and cat were uninjured. Police said a sportsman-style knife with a fixed blade and sheath was recovered at the scene.

Prosecutors charged Collins with aggravated animal cruelty in connection with the stabbing of the dog and attempted armed robbery for the incident involving the cat. He was being held by police Sunday pending a bond hearing.

Earlier:

• Man Stabs Dog In Downtown Evanston
• Dog-Stabbing Suspect's Photo Released By Evanston Police