SUGAR LAND, Texas (AP) — A Texas man accused of torturing and killing four kittens had worked as a geometry teacher at a Houston-area high school before his arrest, the school district said.

Graham Reid, 29, of Sugar Land, faces four counts of felony cruelty to non-livestock animals. He was arrested in late April, and the Fort Bend Independent School District said this week that Reid is "no longer employed with the district."

An arrest warrant says Reid told investigators he "felt powerful" when he tortured his four cats, ranging in age from 4 months to 1 year. The cats were all beaten to death, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Reid was arrested April 28 and is next due in court June 14. His attorney, David Hunter, declined to comment on the case.