Ex-KISS Guitarist Spousal Abuse Arrest Reveals Hoarding of Dead Dogs

Arrested Saturday night at his Smyrna, TN home, Vinnie Vincent, aka Vincent Cusano, who replaced Ace Frehley in the legendary rock band KISS in 1982 during the recording of the album "Creatures in the Night," is once again suffering from legal problems as he is accused of assaulting his wife, allegedly even dragging her through broken glass.

According to a report in "The Daily News Journal," Cusano's wife, Diane Cusano, showed up at the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office on Saturday covered in blood and smelling of alcohol. An ambulance was immediately called to take Mrs. Cusano to a nearby hospital. After being treated for lacerations, hematomas, bruises, and puncture wounds, she told officials she had an argument with her husband that evening concerning a woman he had been speaking with that night. The argument quickly got violent with Cusano yelling at his wife to "get the [expeletive] out of the house" before he began smacking her in the face, grabbing her by the hair, and pushing her to the ground, dragging her through a broken plate on the floor.

Deputies were not able to contact Cusano when they arrived at his Smyrna, TN home, so the Rutherford County Felony Arrest Search Tactical (FAST) team were called to the home and were able to make the arrest. Once inside the home, deputies made the gruesome discovery of four sealed containers filled with the carcasses of dead dogs, and animal cruelty investigators quickly arrived on the scene. However, no charges were filed. Officials from Pet Adoption Welfare Services (PAWS) have since dropped the case after being informed by Cusano's wife that the deceased dogs were their dogs that were killed by another one of their dogs. Nothing was said about an investigation of the dog that mortally attacked the four dogs.

The former KISS guitarist was brought into the county's detention center and was booked into jail at 11:30 PM. Jail records show that he was released the following morning at 11:27 AM after posting $10,000 bail. Cusano will appear in court on June 23.

Other legal disputes Cusano has had over the years since leaving KISS in 1984 over songwriting royalties include several lawsuits against KISS leader Gene Simmons and the KISS management firm over royalties and using his image without permission on Simmons' reality TV show, "Gene Simmons Family Jewels."