A judge on Friday upgraded animal cruelty charges from misdemeanor to felony for a University of Illinois Chicago student accused of pouring boiling water over his dog.
Prosecutors say Kyle Voissem, 20, of the 1700 block of South Des Plaines Street, was boiling water for macaroni and cheese when he saw the dog urinate on the floor, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Voissem, who attends UIC on a gymnastics scholarship, allegedly poured steaming-hot water over the Mountain Cur mix's head and torso out of anger. The dog was given to the Anti-Cruelty Society, which treated the dog's second- and third-degree burns.
Voissem, originally from Wisconsin, was arrested in December for the Oct. 18 incident. Charges were boosted to a felony based on the severity of the burns, said assistant Cook County state's attorney Lorraine Scaduto.
A judge on Friday set Voissem's bond at $100,000.
The dog has since been successfully adopted into a new home.
