In 2007 he was charged with aggravated animal cruelty after killing a cat belonging to his girlfriend Lisa Altobelli. Prosecutors claimed that he intentionally beat Norman the cat to death because he believed that his girlfriend cared more about the animal than him. Petcka's defense attorney stated that his client admitted kicking and hitting the cat but that he did not mean to kill him and that the animal's death was a tragic accident. Petcka's criminal trial, where he faced a maximum of 2 years if convicted, started in New York on 18 September 2008 and ended with a hung jury. Petcka subsequently pled guilty to aggravated animal cruelty and was sentenced to 500 hours of community service.
