Former SU student pleads guilty to felony animal abuse charge

Former Syracuse University student Dancheng Wang may be deported to China after he admitted in court on Monday to throwing his ex-girlfriend’s cat against a wall.

Wang, a 22-year-old international student from China, pleaded guilty to felony aggravated animal cruelty, Syracuse.com reported. The incident occurred during a fight with his ex-girlfriend in October 2017. Wang was also charged with misdemeanor assault against his ex-girlfriend for hitting and kicking her.

The Department of Public Safety’s investigation into the incident began in August 2018 after Wang’s ex-girlfriend reported that he repeatedly punched and kicked her during a October 2017 domestic dispute. The incident was not reported until August 2018.

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During the DPS investigation, the Syracuse Police Department said it learned Wang had also caused serious injuries to the victim’s cat by repeatedly throwing it against a wall. The cat was treated at Cornell University and a local animal hospital for a fractured skull and pelvis, as well as a broken femur, and did not die, SPD said in October. The veterinary treatment cost her more than $3,000.

Wang will not receive any criminal punishment if he does not commit additional crimes for three years, but he will have to leave the United States or face deportation proceedings due to the felony charge, according to Syracuse.com.

Wang is unable to leave the U.S. until he is officially sentenced, which will likely happen in May, according to Syracuse.com. After that, he will either return to China on his own or face deportation proceedings.