Sabrina Anne Richards, 35, was charged with four counts of animal cruelty, including two felonies, after neighbors said she fatally kicked their dog, a teacup named Harley, on June 19.
She pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated cruelty to animals, a felony. The other three charges were marked Stet, or inactive, according to online court records.
District Court Judge Shaem C. P. Spencer sentenced Richards to 30 days of active incarceration with one year of supervised probation and three years (less 30 days jail time) of back-up time, Anne Arundel State's Attorney Wes Adams' office said.
Adams, in a statement Wednesday afternoon, said his office hopes the sentence "sends a deterring message that harming animals will not be tolerated in Anne Arundel County."
The dog's owner, Jessica Miskimon, 28, started an online petition in June calling for jail time for Richards.
On Wednesday, Miskimon said she was satisified with the sentence.
"Of course, 30 days is not ever going to be good enough because it can't bring my dog back," she said. "(But) 30 days is better than nothing, and we at least saw some type of justice."
Police responded to Miskimon's home in the 400 block of Nancy Avenue in Linthicum around 8:35 p.m. on June 19 after a 911 caller said a dog there had been kicked.
Officers arrived at the house and spoke with Miskimon and her boyfriend, Seth Sura. The couple said they had been home drinking and celebrating Father's Day with Richards' husband when Richards called to tell her husband to come home, court records state.
Richards then walked across the street to Miskimon's home and a verbal altercation ensued between the two women, court records indicate.
Miskimon, though, said Richards had tried to enter the home while yelling at her husband and that all she did was block her entry.
Miskimon and Sura's four young children were home at the time, she said.
The dog escaped through the front door during the disturbance and remained outside with Richards after the door was closed.
Miskimon told police she then heard a "loud yelp" from the dog. When she reopened the door, the dog was lying about 10 feet from the bottom of the front steps.
The dog was too small to walk down the steps on its own, Miskimon said.
Police reported the dog was "clearly in pain." It died shortly afterward, court records state.
Richards initially denied kicking or stepping on the dog, but later told police that if she did kick the dog she "did not mean to," court records state
On Wednesday, the judge ordered Richards to attend anger management, have no contact with the victims and pay $350 in restitution. He also prohibited her from owning any animals during her probation period.
(CapitalGazette.com - Sep 7, 2016)
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