James Cody Voss

A Waterloo man previously convicted of burglary was sentenced last week to federal prison after he shot and killed a neighbor’s cat.

Donald S. Boyce, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, said James Cody Voss, 25, of Waterloo, was sentenced to 37 months of imprisonment for unlawful possession of a sawed-off shotgun and felon in possession of a firearm.

Voss will also have to serve a term of two years of supervised release following his release from prison.

During a change of plea hearing on Sept. 22, 2017, Voss admitted he had used a sawed-off shotgun to kill a neighbor’s cat, and that he had been previously convicted of felony burglary in Monroe County in 2011.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer.

The investigation which resulted in Voss’ arrest and conviction was conducted by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert L. Garrison.