The sentencing of Robert Habermehl, the man convicted of causing an animal to be in distress, took an unusual turn on Monday when the guilty party suffered an alleged heart attack in the courtroom.

Habermehl was found guilty of a vicious attack in 2009 on his pet cat which left the animal’s intestines hanging outside of its body.  The severity of the cat’s injuries prompted officials to euthanize the animal.

Habermehl, representing himself in the proceedings, informed the judge that he was having a heart attack, his fourth coronary episode of the past two weeks.

EMS responded to the courthouse with a stretcher for the victim, but Habermehl walked to the ambulance under his own power.

An unidentified man, believed to be a friend of Habermehl’s, clashed with animal rights activists outside of the courthouse and attempted to block members of the media from taking photographs of the convicted man entering the ambulance.

Despite his medical issues, Habermehl will not escape sentencing.  The hearing is scheduled to resume later this month. 

With files from Elissa Carpenter