LIBERTY, MO. ? A judge on Wednesday more than doubled the bond to $25,000 for a man charged with burning a kitten in a barbecue grill.

Clay County Circuit Court Judge Rex Gabbert also entered an innocent plea on behalf of Charles C. Benoit during Benoit’s first court appearance on one count of animal abuse. The charge is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine or both.

A witness said she saw a group of 10 or 12 people standing around the grill at an apartment complex, taunting the cat on Friday. After threatening to call police, the witness said she pulled the 7-week-old tabby from the hot coals. But the kitten was severely injured and had to be euthanized, police said.

Gabbert raised Benoit’s bond to $25,000 cash or security only, saying the nature of the crime and other pending charges against Benoit made him a threat. Benoit, 24, had been held at the county jail on $10,000 bond since his arrest Tuesday.

According to Independence Police, Benoit had run-ins with the Police Department there dating back to 1998, including convictions for theft, marijuana possession, disorderly conduct and interfering with police.

Benoit said he had been out of work for about two months and requested the assistance of a public defender. He was scheduled to appear again in court on July 29 to determine whether he qualified.

People from across the country and abroad have flooded the Police Department and Prosecutor’s Office with hundreds of calls and e-mails expressing outrage about the case, officials said.

And People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Wednesday announced a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of others involved in hurting the kitten.

“You have people who express desire to put up a grill in the middle of Liberty and put this guy in it, but I’ve only had one of those,” said Jim Roberts, spokesman for the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office. “Mostly people are wanting to know what they can do to help.”

By Wednesday morning, Roberts said he had talked to 40 to 50 callers and had more than 100 messages on his voice mail. He’d also received another 50 to 60 e-mail messages.

One caller reportedly was from Germany, Roberts said.

“This far outclasses the feedback we get when the victim is a human,” Roberts said.

One person who contacted the Police Department wanted to offer the Prosecutor’s Office $10,000 for the successful prosecution of the case, Liberty Police Chief Craig Knouse said.

Many of the callers, Knouse said, wanted to offer money to the woman who helped the cat.

“We will continue to try to identify people and what their participation in the incident was,” Knouse said. “Unfortunately, just being there but not actively participating isn’t against the law.”