A former University of Illinois at Chicago gymnast was convicted of animal cruelty Tuesday for throwing a pot of boiling water on his dog after the Mountain Cur mix urinated on the floor.
Judge James Obbish found Kyle Voissem guilty of animal cruelty after a two-day bench trial and ordered him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, said Cook County State’s Attorney’s office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton.
Voissem was boiling water to make macaroni and cheese for dinner in October 2011 when the dog, Byron, urinated on the floor of his apartment in the 1700 block of South Desplaines Street, prosecutors had said.
Voissem, a criminal justice major at UIC, angrily poured the scalding water all over the dog’s head and torso. The dog suffered second- and third-degree burns, authorities said.
Later that month, Voissem gave the dog to the Anti-Cruelty Society, which provided veterinary care and found the dog a new home.
Anti-Cruelty Society president and veterinarian Dr. Robyn Barbiers said the dog was a 47-pound, 1 1/2-year-old Mountain Cur mix -- "basically a mutt."
Voissem, originally from Wisconsin, was going to UIC on a gymnastics scholarship, his attorney William Fahey said at a bond hearing.
He was no longer listed on the team’s 2012-2013 season roster as of Tuesday afternoon.
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Voissem will be back in court May 20, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
