Texas Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Kicking Cat ‘Like a Football’

BEAUMONT, TX — A Beaumont man was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for animal cruelty after kicking a cat “like a football,” propelling it 15 to 20 feet in the air, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas announced.

Donaldvan Williams, 30, pleaded guilty to animal crushing and aiding and abetting. On September 10, 2024, U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone sentenced him for the October 2021 incident. According to court records, Williams kicked the cat in the parking lot of a Beaumont apartment complex, mimicking a football field goal.

His actions were encouraged by Decorius Mire, who filmed the event on his cellphone and shared it on social media. Mire was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison in July 2023.

The footage went viral, prompting outrage and legal action.

Both men were prosecuted under the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act. The law bans intentional acts of cruelty against animals and the distribution of media depicting such acts. Mire received an 18-month sentence in July 2023 for his role in the incident.

The case was investigated by the Beaumont Police Department, the FBI, and the Department of Justice’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Batte leading the prosecution.