DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A Decatur man is facing a charge of animal cruelty after prosecutors said he killed a woman’s cat last month.
According to records from the Macon County Circuit Court, Delbert McGee, aged 45, has been charged with one count of a Class 4 felony. He appeared in court for arraignment on May 27 and was scheduled for a preliminary hearing.
There is no indication that the State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition for pretrial detention, allowing McGee to remain free until the hearing.
Diane Couri, the Macon County State’s Attorney, said in a complaint that the crime happened on May 12. It reads in part:
The defendant is accused of deliberately causing serious injury to a companion animal. Specifically, he allegedly restrained a cat owned by another individual and used both of his feet to stomp on its head and body, which resulted in the cat’s death.
McGee was arrested the same day as the crime, and he was booked into the Macon County Jail. Records indicate he was there for 30 minutes before being released with a notice to appear in court.
Following his arraignment, McGee was released with conditions, including that he appears again on June 11 for a preliminary hearing. There, Judge Lindsey Shelton will decide whether there is probable cause to continue the case against him.
