Man accused of setting kitten on fire formally charged

A Dayton man who was accused of setting a kitten on fire last week has been formally charged.

Eric Williams, 21, was indicted by a Montgomery County grand jury Wednesday on one felony count of cruelty to companion animals and one misdemeanor count of arson, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records.

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As News Center 7 reported last week, Dayton officers were called to the intersection of Richmond and Kenwood Avenues on reports of a fight in progress on July 7. When they got to the scene, they found two people arguing.

The individuals were separated and one of them was “extremely upset about his neighbors for burning a kitten,” according to an affidavit and statement of facts filed in Dayton Municipal Court last week.

Officers found the kitten near a home on Kenwood Avenue and it appeared to be burnt all over its body. An empty gas can was found on the porch of that home.

The second person involved in the fight told police that she did not know exactly what happened, but claimed to have seen an object on fire run across the yard while she was in her home. She claimed to have dumped water on the kitten to try and put the flames out.

She said that her boyfriend, Williams, was outside near the home when she saw the fire.

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Williams told police that he was on the porch and the kitten was following him. He then got his pit bull.

“The dog began licking and playing with the kitten, causing him to become frustrated,” court documents state.

Williams denied setting the kitten on fire and claimed that it was someone else, but would not tell police who it was or give them a description.

Williams was arrested and booked in the Montgomery County Jail, where he remains. He’s scheduled to appear in court next on July 23.

The kitten survived the attack, as News Center 7 previously reported. It is being treated by the Humane Society of Greater Dayton.