Ohio: Court date set for Kevin Sullivan, accused of burning a cat to death
OHIO -- A man facing a felony charge after allegedly setting a cat on fire was taken into custody Wednesday — more than a month after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Kevin Lee Sullivan, 32, of Middletown, is charged with animal cruelty, a fifth-degree felony, for the alleged September incident on Howard Avenue.
Police said Sullivan used lighter fluid to set the cat on fire. A Middletown police officer had to shoot the cat to put it out of its misery, according to a report.
Police said Sullivan initially lied to them about his involvement, but an investigation by Middletown police and the dog warden’s office led back to him as a suspect.
“This is absolutely disturbing, and this guy definitely needs to be off the streets,” Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said in October when a warrant was issued for Sullivan’s arrest. “I have a room for him here in my jail, where he needs to be. I don’t understand people who harm or torture a defenseless animal. It is a very cowardly thing to do.”
Sullivan was booked into the Middletown City Jail at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Middletown Municipal Court, according to court records.
