Texas: Gary Kennedy, 55, sentenced to 15 years for beating puppy to death with metal rod in 2014

TEXAS -- A 55-year-old man who beat a puppy to death with a metal rod in 2014 has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to Animal Care Services.

Gary Kennedy was arrested about two weeks after being caught on surveillance footage hitting a young shar-pei and stuffing its body into a trash bag on July 3.

According to ACS, Kennedy plead no contest to the crime and was handed the maximum sentence allowable due to the nature of the beating and prior conviction for violent offenses.

In a statement release on Tuesday ACS Field Supervisor Audra Houghton said the conviction should set a benchmark for animal cruelty cases in Texas.

“We know there’s an established link between animal cruelty and human violence that must inform our response to these cases,” Houghton said. “This conviction supports addressing that progression of violence and stopping it before hurting pets turns into hurting people.”

(MySanAntonio - June 28, 2016)