CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — A Crawfordsville man who admitted to burning a cat alive was spared jail time during a sentencing hearing Sept. 1, according to court records.
A judge suspended 19-year-old Noah Riley's 826-day sentence and ordered it to be served on supervised probation with credit for 96 days previously served, according to court records.
Riley was charged with one count of animal cruelty after the cat, which was later named Phoenix and died in a local animal shelter, was found badly burned, doused in gasoline and tied up in a cornfield Jan. 11 near Crawfordsville Municipal Airport.
Riley told investigators that he and his juvenile girlfriend didn't like cats, and "he thought it would be funny" to burn Phoenix, according to a summary of his statements to police, which were cited in a probable cause affidavit.
The pair reportedly attended a church bible study that night before going to a Montgomery County residence, where a man offered them the animal, according to the affidavit.
Riley told investigators that he tied Phoenix's legs, held her down and covered her in gasoline before lighting a match; he added that Phoenix caught fire and began to run around before the pair left the area in his vehicle, the affidavit states.
Riley turned himself in after photos of the badly-burned cat began circulating on social media, according to police.
Riley also was ordered to pay more than $3,300 to the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, which cared for Phoenix for several days before she died from her injuries.
