A Crosby man has been charged with animal cruelty nearly three weeks after he allegedly set fire to a dog kennel and injured a pit bull terrier.
Edwin Jermaine Stewart, 42, was charged Dec. 1 with felony cruelty to non-livestock animals.
Police say Stewart used gasoline to set fire to a dog kennel behind a home at 12607 Crosby Lynchburg Road on Nov. 16.
Crosby firefighters were dispatched to the residence around 4 a.m., where they found a melted kennel to which a dog was still chained, court records show.
"The dog had burns and melted hair on his back, sides, both rear legs and his underbelly and groin area," court records show.
The owner of the residence and a neighbor both told police they saw Stewart in the backyard before the incident, according to court documents.
Jerome Lockett, who owns the home, said he and Stewart then got into a physical altercation, during which he held Stewart down until authorities arrived, court records show.