Harvard man accused of severely injuring cat, domestic battery: cops

A Harvard man faces multiple criminal charges after police alleged he struck a woman and severely injured her cat, authorities said.

Storm R. Ince, 23, was charged Monday with aggravated cruelty to animals and two counts of misdemeanor domestic battery, according to a criminal complaint. Ince also was charged with possessing 21 marijuana plants and conspiring to manufacture with the intent to deliver 10 to 30 grams of marijuana, according to the complaint.

The plants were discovered as a result of a domestic battery call, Harvard Police Chief Tyson Bauman said.

Ince was accused of striking a woman with a closed fist on her head, legs and arms, as well as committing “an act that caused a companion animal ... to suffer serious injury and death,” according to the complaint.

It was unclear what he did to the cat, Bauman said. McHenry County Animal Control took the cat for medical treatment, Bauman said.

The pet “is not stable and care is ongoing,” Animal Control spokeswoman Lindsey Salvatelli said.

The most serious charge against Ince – possession of the marijuana plants – is a class 3 felony, which can carry a sentence of two to five years in prison. It also is probational.

Ince remained in the McHenry County Jail as of Monday afternoon. He did not have an attorney listed.