Oklahoma: Charged with rape in 2015, Johnathan Weems, 20, now jailed on animal cruelty charge

OKLAHOMA -- A Stillwater man who is currently awaiting trial on charges stemming from allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl in Perkins in Sept. 2015 is now facing an additional charge of animal cruelty.

Johnathan Lee Weems, 20, was out on bond since March 2016 but did not appear for two straight scheduled court appearances on Dec. 21, 2016 and Jan. 4, 2017 as a trial originally scheduled for Feb. 7 drew near. A warrant was put out for Weems' arrest, who was later arrested in Muskogee on Jan. 25.

Now, according to court documents filed in Payne County District Court on Thursday, Weems faces one charge of animal cruelty for an incident that allegedly occurred Jan. 19.

According to a document filed in the case, Weems is accused of having "failed to provide necessary food and care and well-being and with force and violence threw a cat against the wall."

Weems faces up to five years in prison or up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $5,000 if convicted of the crime, and he faces a maximum of 35 years in prison if convicted of the other two counts stemming from the alleged rape.

Weems was ordered to complete a mental health psychosexual evaluation in 2016 as part of the pretrial process.

(STW News Press - Feb 20, 2017)