Dayton man accused of setting kitten on fire indicted
Jul. 17—A grand jury indicted a Dayton man for reportedly setting a kitten on fire earlier this month.
Eric Keith Williams, 21, is facing one count of arson and one count of cruelty to companion animals, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records. The arson charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.
Around 9 p.m. on July 7, Dayton police were called to a fight in the Five Oaks neighborhood at the intersection of Richmond and Kenwood avenues.
Two men were arguing when officers arrived. When police separated them, one of the men was upset his neighbors set a kitten on fire and were making jokes about it, according to Dayton Municipal Court records.
An officer found a burned kitten in the 400 block of Kenwood Avenue near a front porch. An empty gas can with a lid was also in the yard.
A woman told police she was inside her home when she saw an object on fire in the yard, according to court records. She said dumped water on the cat to try to put the flames out.
The woman told police her boyfriend, Williams, was outside near her home when she saw the fire.
When Williams spoke to officers, he said he was on another porch in the 300 block of Kenwood Avenue and the kitten was following him, according to court documents. He then got his pit bull.
"The dog began licking and playing with the kitten, causing him to be frustrated," an affidavit read. "He said that he did not light the kitten on fire. He said it was someone else and would not provide a name or description of the person."
A representative from the Humane Society of Greater Dayton said they assisted police and have the cat in their custody. The cat survived the burns and is being treated and recovering at the Humane Society.
Williams is scheduled to be arraigned on July 23. His bond was previously set at $10,000 in municipal court.
