Jerome Barringer, 36, of the 4300 block of Dardenne Drive, pleaded guilty to two counts of misdemeanor animal abuse. According to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's office, St. Louis firefighters discovered the pit bulls after they responded to a house fire at his home in January 2013, and notified investigators with the Humane Society of Missouri.
They found a male pit bull, named Champ, dead under a deck. A female pit bull, named Honey, was also found. She had so much damage to her body from heartworms and malnutrition that she had to be euthanized, even after veterinarians tried to treat her for several weeks, officials said.
“Veterinarians say Champ likely died a slow, painful death from starvation and other health issues,” the circuit attorney's office said.
He had also eaten non-food materials and had external and internal parasites, the Humane Society of Missouri said.
“The defendant failed to provide adequate food, water and shelter for two dogs that he owned, and as a direct result of his actions, both dogs died,” wrote Assistant Circuit Attorney Veronica Harwin in court documents. “The suffering and death of these two dogs was completely avoidable.”
Animal abuse in Missouri rises to a felony only after a prior animal abuse conviction or if the defendant mutilated or tortured the animal while alive.
Thursday, Judge Michael Noble sentenced Barringer to one year in jail, the maximum sentence for a misdemeanor on the first count of animal abuse. Noble sentenced Barringer to probation for two more years on the second count. Barringer is not allowed to own pets during that time, will have to pay $500 to the Humane Society and complete 100 hours of community service.
Barringer has nine previous convictions on his record, including drug and assault charges.
(STL Today - Aug 8, 2014)
No comments:
Post a Comment