Texas: Repeat offender Terrence Mouton, 42, convicted of animal cruelty after 36 dogs seized

TEXAS -- A jury found a man guilty on 36 counts of animal cruelty Thursday morning in a Bexar County court.

The same jury later sentenced him to a year in jail on every count, served concurrently, the harshest punishment possible.

Terrence Mouton, 42, was found guilty on all charges he faced in court, and the state prosecutor informed jurors these weren't the only cases.

"Actions both before September 13th, 2012, as well as after," said the state prosecutor.

We in fact did a story one year after that date when 24 more dogs were seized.

Both raids found the animals in similar circumstances.

Mouton has had experience with law enforcement and animal cruelty, officials noted.

"We noted there were approximately 15-20 Pit Bull dogs chained on property," said Audra Houghton an investigator with Animal Care Services.

She said in addition to many of the dogs being underfed and covered in wounds from alleged fighting.

Kittens were being used as bait animals, to be torn apart by the pit bulls

"Some dogs did not have shelter some had no water," said Houghton. "The ones that did have water had green dirty water."

The water temperature was also measured at 104 degrees and drinking water at that temperature would do more damage to the heat stricken dogs than good.

"He may be negligent but I submit to you do not throw him under the bus," said Mouton's defense attorney.

However Houghton said many of the dogs did not survive their rescue, because many were so aggressive from fighting they had to be euthanized.

TERRENCE MOUTON'S HISTORY:
In June 2007, officials found 12 abused pit bulls at Mouton’s residence in Commerce, northeast of Dallas. Nine of the dogs were chained up and three were in small pens, according to a report in the Commerce Journal at the time.

In November 2007, a jury in Hunt County found Mouton guilty of animal cruelty and sentenced him to one year in jail. The Commerce Journal reported that Mouton sought a new trial, but it was denied by a judge in January 2008.

In June 2013, ACS seized an additional 23 dogs on the same rural South Side property, next to the Medina River Natural Area. Authorities found those dogs chained up without food and only filthy, undrinkable water. There were tadpoles and insects in the dirty water dishes, officers said.

(MyFoxSanAntonio - Feb 4, 2016)

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