A Rockingham County man received 120 days of house arrest after pleading guilty to a charge he led a group of youths in sacrificing a kitten that may have been part of a satanic ritual.
Rocky Lance Thomas, 20, of Mayodan, was the second person to plead guilty to felony animal cruelty in the case. Superior Court Judge Melzer Morgan also ordered Thomas to pay $1,817 in fines and court costs, receive counseling and perform 250 hours of community service - half at a local animal shelter.
"I'm sorry about what I did," Thomas said after Friday's hearing at the Rockingham County Courthouse. "I just want to move to better things in my life. ... I won't do anything like that again."
The cat was crucified in a wooded area in September 2001. Court records described the death as a "satanic ritual," although prosecutors remain unsure of its satanic nature.
Another youth, Derick Smith, 17, received a suspended sentence of four to six months in jail earlier this month.
Prosecutors said Thomas was given a stiffer sentence in part because he oversaw the kitten's death.
In court Friday, Assistant District Attorney Sandra Pugh submitted as evidence a school essay written by Smith that detailed how the gray and white kitten was nailed to a tree, gutted and beaten with a stick.
The essay said that Smith and Thomas were the only teenagers to participate, though three other boys watched. Thomas and Smith were arrested last March, shortly after Smith wrote the essay. No other arrests were made.