Man gets three-year sentence for pouring boiling water on cat

SHARE Man gets three-year sentence for pouring boiling water on cat
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Leon Teague | Chicago Police

A South Side man was sentenced to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to animal torture for poured boiling water on a cat and posting the video of the animal abuse on Facebook.

Leon Teague, 18, was arrested in February after officers were alerted to the startling social media post that showed the cat screaming as water cascaded down his body.

The cat, Driver, was taken to a shelter a few days later and was doing well as he recovered, officials from a North Side shelter said at the time.

Driver the cat today. | Provided

Driver the cat today. | Provided

“Driver is almost 100 percent healed and is living with an amazing family and bossing around two 100-pound dogs!” Abby Smith, executive director of the Felines & Canines shelter, said Tuesday.

Teague, of the 6900 block of South King Drive, was sentenced Monday when he pleaded guilty before Judge Charles Burns, according to court records.

On its Facebook page, Felines & Canines called the sentence “a massive win for the animals that sends an unwavering message to the public that animal abuse will NOT be tolerated in our city.”

The video Teague had posted on Facebook first showed a pot of boiling water on the stove. Then, a male voice could be heard luring the cat into the camera’s view.

Next, an arm was seen pouring the steaming water on the cat as the same voice taunts the animal.

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