Man beheads 4 chickens, smashes 6 windows, steals chaps and overturns motorcycle in costly east Des Moines rampage, police say

Four decapitated chickens, six smashed windows, an overturned Harley and one stolen pair of chaps later, a man who wreaked havoc on east Des Moines on Friday was arrested, police said. 

Anthony Runner, 31, of Des Moines, faces charges of theft, criminal mischief, assault, burglary and livestock abuse after going on a rampage through east Des Moines that caused thousands of dollars in damage, according to court records.

A man told police that his wife called around 2 p.m. to tell him four chickens they kept in their backyard in the 2900 block of Capitol Avenue had been "beheaded," court records show. 

Runner later "admitted to picking up the chickens and spinning them around until their heads came off," according to a criminal complaint. 

Police also found blood and chicken feces on Runner's boots. He was charged with four counts of livestock abuse, an aggravated misdemeanor, and third degree burglary, a class D felony, according to court records.

A damaged satellite dish on the property was also found in the chicken coop next to a large rock, police said.

Runner also did damage in the 2600 block of East Walnut. He stole a pair of leather chaps out of a saddle bag on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, pummeled the motorcycle with a shovel, which caused "significant damage" estimated at $5,000, pushed the Harley onto its side and swung the shovel at the head of the woman whose Harley he was attacking, police said.

Runner was charged with second degree criminal mischief, fifth degree theft and assault with a dangerous weapon.

He faces additional criminal mischief charges for breaking out windows in at least four cars in the 2700 and 2600 block of East Walnut Street and the 2600 block of Raccoon Street, court records show.

Runner, who is being housed at the Polk County Jail, is set to appear in court Sunday for an initial hearing. No attorney for him was listed in online court records.

Anna Spoerre is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. She can be contacted at aspoerre@dmreg.com, 515-284-8387 or on Twitter at @annaspoerre.