A Texas man is sentenced for kicking a cat that prosecutors say was later set on fire

Beaumont, Texas (AP) — A Texas man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to kicking a cat that court records say was later set on fire.

Documents in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas show Donaldvan Williams of Beaumont was sentenced Tuesday to 40 months in prison as part of an agreement in which he earlier pleaded guilty to animal crushing, aiding and abetting.

The attorney for Williams, 30, did not immediately return a phone call for comment.

Federal prosecutors worked with Texas state prosecutors to determine whether to file charges in state or federal court, according to Davilyn Walston, spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Damien Diggs.

“A lot of times, when you have offenders that are particularly egregious ... the state penalties aren’t as harsh,” Walston said.

Williams could have faced as little as ( two years in prison if convicted of animal torture or cruelty under Texas law.

He was charged under the federal Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, which prohibits harm to animals and bans videos of animal cruelty.

The documents say Williams and Decorius Mire found the cat in a parking lot in October 2021 and Williams kicked the animal like a football while Mire recorded the kick with his cell phone and later posted the video on social media.

The indictment in the case states that a third unknown, person set the cat on fire shortly after it was kicked 15-20 feet.

Mire also pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement and was sentenced in July 2023 to 18 months in prison.