Terrence Williams Brutally Killed Dog: Complaint

JOLIET, IL - A man from Joliet is locked up in the Will County jail accused of brutally killing a female dog last month named Sassy. Terrence T. Williams, 22, who lives in the 1100 block of Magnolia Avenue, was charged on Thursday with two felony counts of aggravated cruel treatment of animals, a Class 4 felony, and one charge of cruel treatment of animals, a Class A misdemeanor.

The dog's death was investigated by the Will County Sheriff's Department. According to the criminal complaint submitted by Detective R.J. Austin, Williams "intentionally committed an act that caused a companion animal, a female Chihuahua, to suffer death." On August 14, Williams "threw the dog onto the ground and kicked the dog," court records show. "

On Monday evening, April Currie told Joliet Patch that Williams is her stepbrother and he had been in hiding since he killed the dog nearly a month ago. Currie said the Will County Sheriff's Department did a good job investigating the crime and in finally apprehending Williams over the weekend.

Currie said the slain dog was a Chihuahua rat terrier mix named Sassy. The dog was only 2 years old and belonged to Currie's mother, she said. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

"She was so cute, so tiny," Currie told Patch.

Currie said that family members are outraged by Williams' conduct and they fully support efforts by the Will County State's Attorney to prosecute Williams for killing Sassy.

"I would say he's mentally unstable," Currie said. "He never killed a dog before, but he did it out of spite, just to hurt my mother. He was upset with my mother."

Prior to the incident, Currie said, Williams had gotten into argument with Currie's mother about a bicycle.

"He took (Sassy) out of her cage and slammed her on the ground and kicked her," Currie said. "The dog took her last breath and died."

On Monday, Williams still remained in the county jail's custody, unable to post 10 percent of his $100,000 bond.

Jail logs show that Williams spent three months in Will County's custody last year after being arrested by the Joliet Police Department on Sept. 26 on two felony charges, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of controlled substances.

"He's been causing problems for years," Currie said. "I'm glad they finally caught him. The boy's out of control and he needs help."

Main photo of Sassy provided to Patch

Booking mugshot of Terrence T. Williams via Will County Sheriff's Department