Prohibited
(a) A person may not:
(1) intentionally mutilate, torture, cruelly beat, or cruelly kill an animal;
MARYLAND -- A Baltimore County Circuit Court judge found former Alabama All-American Terrence Cody guilty of five counts of animal neglect, but acquitted him on two felony charges of animal cruelty on Monday afternoon.
Cody, who spent five seasons as a defensive tackle with the Baltimore Ravens, went to trial on Thursday after being indicted on 15 charges in February.
The charges stemmed from the death of Cody's Presa Canario, or Canary mastiff, named Taz. The condition of the dog when Cody brought it to the Main Street Veterinary Hospital in Reistertown, Md., shortly before it died in January alarmed the staff there, leading to an investigation that led to Cody's indictment.
The charges against Cody had included two counts of aggravated animal cruelty with a dog, five counts of animal abuse or neglect with the same dog, one count of illegal possession of an alligator and five counts of animal abuse or neglect with the alligator. Cody also was indicted on one count of possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia and one count of possession of marijuana.
Judge Judith C. Ensor found Cody guilty of five counts related to failing to provide care for the dog, illegal possession of an alligator and the two drug charges, the Baltimore Sun reported.
Ensor announced her decisions on Monday afternoon after hearing closing arguments in the case on Monday morning. Sentencing for Cody was set for Jan. 5.
On Thursday, Adam Lippe, the prosecutor in the case, opened the trial by saying Taz "died a horrible, miserable death" because Cody.
Dr. Martha Smith-Blackmore, a forensic veterinarian, testified the dog died of starvation after being neglected for at least four weeks. She said the dog weighed less than half of what it should have when it died.
On Friday, Cody took the stand and talked about his love of dogs. He said he thought Taz was suffering from heartworms when he took it to the vet.
Cody's girlfriend, Kourtney J. Kelley, faced the same charges and was tried at the same time. Like Cody, she was acquitted of the animal-cruelty charges and found guilty on the five counts of neglect. Kelley also was acquitted on the alligator and drug charges. Kelley's sentencing was set for Jan. 22.
(AL.com - November 16, 2015)
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