Long Beach man who killed his cat gets 2 years

A Long Beach man who pleaded guilty to killing his cat was sentenced to two years in prison for animal cruelty

Steven Ullery, however, will be allowed to serve his sentence in County Jail, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Tomson T. Ong ruled, according to Sarah Ardalani, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

In December, Ullery , 25, pleaded guilty to a single count of animal cruelty.

Between March and August 2013, five cats that were owned by Ullery and his wife died, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Paul Guthrie, who prosecuted the case.

The couple tried to obtain a refund from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles for two of the cats that died, prosecutors said.

Since the cats died one month after they were adopted, the organization launched an investigation.

Ullery and his wife had brought three other dead cats to a veterinary hospital in Long Beach, the organization said it learned during their investigation.

Ullery was arrested Jan. 23, 2014, and was released on $60,000 bail. He was taken into custody Tuesday after his sentencing.

Ullery’s wife was not charged in connection to the deaths, Ardalani said.

Because of the animal cruelty conviction, Ullery is barred from owning, caring for or living with an animal for 10 years.

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