Man has pleaded guilty in federal court to arson, animal crushing and misdemeanor assault

A Texas man has pleaded guilty in federal court to arson, animal crushing and misdemeanor assault for an incident that happened along the Illinois River.

Federal prosecutors say 32-year-old Raymond Phillips and his girlfriend were staying at a resort along the Illinois River on September 3rd, last fall.

They say the girlfriend got arrested and that made Phillips mad so he decapitated the resort owner’s cat, then began burning other guests’ camping equipment.

Law enforcement arrested Phillips at the Cherokee County Detention Center, when he went to bail out his girlfriend.

They say he threatened and assaulted jail and law enforcement officers there.

He will be sentenced at a later date.