year to three years of probation, court records show.
Luke Stribling, 20, pleaded no contest to two counts of animal cruelty and faced up to five years in prison, according to court records. A judge instead ordered he serve probation and complete 100 hours of community service.
Stribling also was ordered to complete anger management courses and is not allowed to own or take care of any pets, records show.
Orange County sheriff’s deputies started investigating in June 2016 after Stribling brought his 17-week-old Shiba Inu puppy to a veterinarian with several fractures. He allegedly told the vet his dog broke its leg a few days earlier when it got caught between two wooden slats in the floor, an arrest report states.
The vet treated the dog but didn’t notify deputies. About two weeks later, Stribling brought the dog, named Julian, into another veterinarian’s office dead, the report states.
Investigators were then called and a necropsy found the puppy had been beaten to death. It had a fractured rib, sternum and abdomen, along with traumatic head injuries, according to the report.
Court records show Stribling also was ordered to attend psychological counseling and pay a fine of $1,000 to an animal charity during his probation.
(Orlando Sentinel - May 3, 2017)
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