(November 2017) California: Enping Qu, 22, poured boiling water FIVE TIMES onto a screaming dog that was locked in a cage, say police

CALIFORNIA -- Two 17-year-old teens at a Chino Valley park called sheriff’s officials after they watched and video recorded a man at a nearby apartment building pouring scalding water on a caged dog Tuesday evening, according to San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials.

“You could hear the horror in the girl’s voice when she said, ‘Oh my god, is that boiling water?’ ” said Deputy Dan Renear on Wednesday.

Enping Qu pouring boiling water on the dog locked in its cage

The teens were in Pinehurst Park around 5 p.m. when Renear said they heard a dog whimpering.

The 17-year-old boy and girl looked around and spotted the caged dog on the third-story balcony of a nearby apartment building, which was more than 50 yards away.

That’s when Renear said the pair saw a man, later identified as 22-year-old Enping Qu, use a tea kettle to pour water over his girlfriend’s dog.

Renear and a trainee, Dominic Ramirez, tracked down the right unit at the apartment in the 16000 block of Butterfield Ranch Road.

Qu, who spoke very limited English, allowed the deputies into the apartment, where they found the dog, still wet and warm, in the cage in the balcony.

Using Google translator on their phones, deputies learned the dog belonged to Qu’s girlfriend, who was at school, Renear said.

As Ramirez spoke to Qu, Renear spotted an electric tea kettle on a warming plate that had been turned off.

“But when I touched it, that thing was still scorching hot. I couldn’t even put my hand on it,” he said.

 

Because the complex is fairly new and doesn’t show up on all maps, Renear said it took Inland Valley Humane Society officers more than an hour to arrive at the complex.

Note: Seriously, this is the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time. You couldn't find the address so you drove around for "more than an hour"? 

A Google Maps search shows exactly where the apartment complex is it:

I can't imagine the police just standing around FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR while this little dog, with its burned skin and in horrible pain (they say burn injuries are the most painful of all injuries)... just sat there and suffered. 

“But even after an hour and a half or an hour and 15 minutes, when they tested the water — even after all that time — it was 129 degrees,” Renear said.

Detectives learned Qu poured hot water on the dog five times, according to a sheriff’s statement.

Qu claimed to deputy he "didn't know the water was that hot" and that, the other times he was seen pouring water from the tea kettle over and over onto the dog was, according to him, he "tried to add cold water".

Qu was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and animal control officers took possession of the dog. It’s unclear if the dog will be returned to its owner, Renear said.

Records indicate Qu was released on bail.

“I’m a dog-lover and it makes you angry,” Renear said. “It was a very sweet and loving little dog.”

Qu, 22, was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty. Qu quickly posted bail and was released.

Note: Did Mommy and Daddy give him the money? Many Asian countries, including China, don't have animal cruelty laws. They can do whatever they want to animals without repercussion - that's why they boil dogs alive. Likely, he thought he could do whatever he wanted to animals here in the United States without repercussion -- or he simply didn't care.

(FOX8 - November 8, 2017)

New York: Dorian Quezada, 21, pleaded guilty to throwing his Chihuahua mix out a 3rd story window to the pavement

Long Island City resident Dorian Quezada, 21, was sentenced to one year in jail for animal abuse after throwing his mixed-breed chihuahua out of a third-floor window in August 2016.

The man pleaded guilty to aggravated animal cruelty last month and was sentenced by acting Supreme Court Justice Suzanne Melendez on Wednesday.

 

An eyewitness was walking on 43th Street in Long Island City when he saw something fall from above and heard a loud thud.

As he looked up, he saw Quezada pull away from an open window on the top floor of the building. 

On the ground was a chihuahua yelping in pain with blood oozing out of her mouth.

The little chihuahua proved to be a fighter and recovered from the broken leg and the dislocated ankle she sustained after the fall.

The dog was adopted by a loving family in November and is "flourishing," according to District Attorney Richard Brown.

Quezada was sentenced to one year in jail and is banned from owning pets for five years. He will also have to register as an animal abuser with the NYC Health Department, which bars him from adopting or buying any pets.

“In pleading guilty, the defendant has admitted to the horrible abuse of his dog. It is hard to imagine that someone would do something so cruel to their pet. My office takes a strong stand against any and all animal cruelty and is committed to aggressively enforcing the laws that protect animals from harm.

"The defendant in this case will go to jail and will be barred from owning any animals for a lengthy period of time," said Brown.

(Queens Patch - March 17, 2017)

New York: Yuk Cheung, 35, arrested for throwing girlfriend’s dog from balcony to its death, NY police say

NEW YORK -- A man was arrested after he threw his girlfriend’s dog from a balcony in Queens during a dispute, according to the NYPD.

“An animal. No home training,” was one woman’s reactions after PIX11 informed her what happened in a building along 40th Road last Friday night.

The NYPD says Yuk Cheung, 35, took his girlfriend’s dog, identified as a 12-year-old pug named Yoda, while they were arguing and hurled it onto the street, 70 feet below. The fall killed the dog.

When Yuk Cheung moved out of his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Chan’s apartment on 40th Road in Flushing, he left his 12-year-old pug behind.

Cheung, 35, returned to Chan’s place March 17 and they argued about caring for the dog, named Yoda, and for him to find a place to stay that permitted animals, prosecutors said.

“(You) would not have to worry about the dog anymore,” Cheung allegedly responded before grabbing the small pup and leaving the apartment.

Cheung was questioned by detectives about dog’s death and he allegedly said he tripped going onto the balcony and the dog left his hands.

Cheung allegedly changed his story to say the dog leaped out of his arms and must have gone through the balcony’s metal railing.

Prosecutors said Cheung went on to say that he found the animal dead on the street and placed her in a box with ice and dumped the remains in a nearby garbage receptacle.

After further investigation, detectives concluded that Cheung had to have propelled the dog about 40 feet into the air for her body to have cleared the balcony, landing on the sidewalk before hitting the street, prosecutors said.

“Such acts of aggression toward defenseless animals cannot — and will not — be tolerated in Queens County,” said Brown.

Calvert Nurse, a neighbor, says the barbaric act was not easy because the seventh floor does not directly oversee 40th Road.

“He actually had to throw it across the roof which is sad because that is cruelty to animals,” Nurse said.

That is exactly what Cheung was arrested for at approximately 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the 109th Precinct.

“I can’t even fathom doing that. I can’t imagine someone doing that,” said Steven Ing, who was in the neighborhood Tuesday evening with his dog, Remy.

Ing used to work in the garage connected to the building, and according to him, the neighborhood is tranquil.

Melissa Cheng lives in the building where the crime was committed.

“This guy should be punished, really he should be punished,” she said.

The NYPD says the suspect has three prior arrests including one for assault.

(Q13 - March 22, 2017)

Missouri: Kimberly Anderson threw her dog off a 3rd floor balcony, breaking his bones and blinding him in both eyes. Her punishment? Probation. Oh yeah and she had been convicted of animal cruelty once before, back in 2004.

MISSOURI -- A Kansas City, MO woman who allegedly abused a small dog pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor animal abuse on Thursday.

Kimberly Anderson (aka Kimberly Bond, Kimberly Bond Anderson, Kim Bond, Kim Anderson) admits to abusing the dog widely known as "Roadrunner."

 

The small dog known as Roadrunner was allegedly abused by Anderson in Nov. 2014. 

A witness told police that Anderson wrapped a leash around Roadrunner’s neck to pull him outside, and then picked Roadrunner up and slammed the dog on concrete before choking and kicking him. 

The witness said Anderson then went back to her apartment and left the dog outside.

A separate witness said he saw Anderson throw Roadrunner off of a third-floor balcony and then went downstairs and picked the dog up by the collar. He said he saw Anderson take the dog around the building and didn’t see either of them again.

A witness said he was covered in blood and that both of his eyeballs were "hanging out".

Roadrunner had broken bones and lost both of his eyes due to the incident.

 

The dog remains alive and is being cared for by new owners. He was adopted in January 2015 by a Kansas City Pet Project staff member.

By pleading guilty, she agreed to enter Jackson County Mental Health Court, have no contact or possession of animals in the future, make $200 restitution to the Pet Project and serve 120 days of shock time.

Her sentence was suspended and she will remain on probation for three years. Anderson entered an Alford plea, meaning she believed there was enough evidence to convict her at trial.

KIMBERLY ANDERSON WAS CONVICTED OF ANIMAL CRUELTY PREVIOUSLY

Kimberley Anderson, who was charged with a Class A misdemeanor of Animal Neglect in 2004 in a separate case (and only received a $249.50 fine).

Why is the judge being so lenient on her? She has abused animals before. The two witnesses SAW WHAT SHE DID to this little dog. If this kind of animal abuser doesn't deserve jail, who does?? Shame on Jackson County.

ANIMAL GROUPS TRYING TO STAY POSITIVE

“We’re so pleased today that a felony animal abuse conviction was obtained and that his dog’s family and the shelter’s staff and volunteers can now have closure in this case,” said Tori Fugate, Director of Marketing & Development with KC Pet Project.

“This is one of the first felony animal abuse convictions in Jackson County and we hope that this will set the bar for future cases to be heard by the courts for similar circumstances of abuse or neglect. Roadrunner’s story impacted many people in our community and we want to say thank you to everyone who shared his story and donated to help with his medical care.

"Roadrunner is living a wonderful life with his family and it’s because of the community’s support that he is now healthy and thriving.”

If she violates any of the terms, she could face up to four years of prison.

Her trial would have been held next week.

(KFVS12 - Dec 15, 2016)

Earlier:

• Dog owner spends the night in jail following animal abuse citation
• Kansas City woman is charged in the case of blinded dog Roadrunner

Massachusetts: Rutland man David Pierce, 31, charged with cruelty after dog found tied to hot deck

MASSACHUSETTS -- A Rutland man who allegedly tied his wife's dog to their back deck for two days in July was charged with animal cruelty.

David Pierce, 31, of 18 Rebecca Ann Drive told police he and his wife are in the midst of a divorce and he tied the dog outside and did not let it inside for two days. Police and the animal control officer found the dog tied to the deck on July 21.

In their report, police wrote that the dog had defecated several times and had no food or water. The animal control officer used an infrared thermometer and determined the temperature of the decking was 127 degrees. She took the dog, and police filed a charge of animal cruelty against Mr. Pierce.

At his arraignment Friday in Western Worcester District Court in East Brookfield, Mr. Pierce was released on personal recognizance and ordered by Judge Maura McCarthy not to possess any animals. He is due back in court Oct. 4 for a pretrial hearing.

(Worcester Telegram - Aug 1, 2016)

United Kingdom: Mahmood Keshavarzi threw dog to its death from 7th floor of apartment

UNITED KINGDOM -- A FORMER security guard is facing jail after hurling a dog to its death from a Birmingham tower block.

Mahmood Keshavarzi ignored the pleas of owner Mitchel Jagger to return his American Bulldog cross, Zeus.

Then he hurled the defenseless animal from his seventh floor window.

The 37-year-old thug was found guilty of theft and criminal damage following a trial at Birmingham magistrates’ court.

They adjourned sentence until August 1 for reports to be prepared but told the defendant that they were considering jail.

The court heard how the pet horror took place at around 4.30pm on August 29 last year.

A 13-year-old boy saw Keshavarzi take 15-month-old Zeus from a garden and drag the dog by its collar towards the rear entrance of Drews House in Druids Heath.

The teenager called the police who were unable to locate the dog, Simon Brownsey, prosecuting, said.

Mitchel came home from work at around 7.30pm and was told by the teenager about the theft.

He began knocking at every door of Drews House until he got to Keshavarzi’s flat, where he spotted dog hair outside on a mat.

“Mr Jagger was banging on the door. He was asking for his dog back,” said Mr Brownsey. “It’s at that point that he heard a commotion and was told Zeus had been found outside.”

The 13-year-old told the court that he had been outside and had heard Mitchel calling for Zeus and the dog barking.

He said: “I heard a massive thump. It sounded like two cars going into each other. I looked on the ground and Zeus was lying there. I then heard the sound of a squeaking window.”

Mr Brownsey said that when Keshavarzi’s flat was later searched, police found Zeus’s fur embedded in paintwork near the kitchen window.

He said a crowd gathered around the dying dog, which had suffered severe trauma and was pronounced dead after being taken to the PDSA in Oldbury.

Keshavarzi claimed he had not been the thief and did not know how Zeus had ended up below his kitchen window.

(The Sun UK - July 26, 2016)

Indiana: Kededrique Boyd accused of throwing puppy, in its cage, off balcony

INDIANA -- An Evansville man is in jail accused of doing the unthinkable to a puppy.

23-year old Kededrique Boyd was arrested Thursday night and faced a judge Friday on several felony animal cruelty charges.

Officers said it started with a fight between Boyd and his girlfriend, that lasted most of the day until she left for work. Police told 14 NEWS, while she was at work, Boyd filmed himself throwing her black lab puppy, in its cage, over their balcony Thursday night.

"When I seen the police, I suspected something else. That was the last thing I expected to hear, it's pretty terrible," said a neighbor who asked to not be identified.

EPD said on Thursday Boyd and his girlfriend argued over ownership of property and child custody and that argument, officers said, escalated to them breaking up.

Officers told us when Boyd's girlfriend left for work, he shot this video on his cell phone, The video is graphic, and we've chosen not to show the cage hitting the ground.

"I just don't know what this world is coming to, to throw a puppy or a dog or anything, it's cruelty to animals," said the neighbor. "I just think it's awful."

"We do a lot of family violence, domestic disputes, and arguments between couples and we also do a lot of animal cruelty runs," said Lt. Scott Doan with Evansville Police. "But it's very rare for us to see something where an animal is used as a ploy or a tactic for one person to get back at another."

The 10 week-old black lab puppy, named "baby" is doing much better now.

In addition to Friday's felony animal cruelty charges, Boyd already had an outstanding warrant out of Jackson County, Indiana. His bond is $25,000, or $2,500 cash. He'll be back in court next week.

Animal control said the girlfriend signed over ownership of that puppy to them Thursday night. She's with animal control now, and will be available for adoption in the next few days.

(Fox10 - June 17, 2016)

Full Name: Kededrique Alexandria Boyd
Arrest Age: 23
Gender: Male
Block: N Rotherwood Ave
City: Evansville, Indiana 47711
Date of arrest: 06/16/2016
Time: 10:23 PM
Total Bond: $100
Arresting agency: Vanderburgh County
Charges

• #1 ANIMAL CRUEL-TORTURE [AM]. BOND: $100
• #2 ANIMAL CRUELTY
• #3 ANIMAL CRUELTY-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

 

Arizona: David Ness-Brooks, 28, left his puppy on the balcony and it died of heatstroke

ARIZONA -- A pet owner whose puppy died on a hot balcony last weekend could now be facing a criminal charge.

The owner of the dog has been identified by police as 28-year-old Glendale resident Adrian Gonzalez. Glendale Police detectives, working in coordination with the Arizona Humane Society, have developed probable cause on the dog owner for animal cruelty. Glendale Police detectives are submitting one count of a felony animal cruelty charge to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for review on this case.

On Sunday, June 5, just after 3:30 p.m., neighbors at an apartment complex near 61st and Northern avenues called 911 after hearing the dog in distress.

When Glendale police arrived, they attempted to get in touch with the dog’s owner, but nobody answered the door or the phone.

“So our officer called the Glendale Fire Department, and we were able to get an engine and ladder there to try and help the dog, but unfortunately in this situation, we were not able to make it in time,” Sgt. Scott Waite of the Glendale Police Department.

The dog, a one-and-a-half-year-old chocolate Lab mix had been locked outside, trapped on the third-floor balcony without water or shade.

There is speculation that the extreme heat was a factor in the death of the dog. That afternoon, the temperature had reached 113 degrees.

The best place for your pets during the hot summer months, or anytime, is inside. If animals have to be outside, make sure they have access to plenty of cool water — do not use metal bowls — and a shady place.

Last week, the City of Phoenix outlawed restraining a dog outside using a restraint that unreasonably limits the dog’s movement during extreme weather conditions, when the outdoor temperature is below 32 degrees or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, when a heat advisory has been issued or when a monsoon, hurricane, tropical storm, dust storm or tornado warning has been issued.

If you see a pet left out in the heat and feel that it is in distress contact the Arizona Humane Society emergency field dispatch at 602-997-7585.

ARREST INFO:
Full Name: David Merle Ness-Brooks
Arrest Age:26
Gender: Male
City: Bisbee, Arizona 85603
Date of arrest: 06/15/2016
Charges:

1. Fail to appear in 2nd degree - BOND: $1836
2. Cruel mistreat of animal - BOND: $12000

(MyFox8 - June 10, 2016)

Ohio judge to puppy killer Michael Sutton: 'Would I like to put you in a Dumpster? Oh, yeah'

OHIO -- Municipal Court Judge Michael Cicconetti is known for doling out creative -- and occasionally humiliating -- punishments to the offenders who set foot in his courtroom in Painesville, Ohio.

If it had been up to Cicconetti, Michael Sutton would have been the latest recipient of his wrath.

"I know what a lot of people would like to do to you," he said.

 

Sutton pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges last week after police said he admitted to throwing a puppy out of a sixth-floor window of an apartment complex May 3.

Building staff found the dog's body in a trash compactor and notified police, who tracked down Sutton and arrested him.

 

The 23-year-old Ohio man told investigators he killed the labrador - pit bull mix puppy named Knox because the puppy went to the bathroom on his bed, according to Fox affiliate WJW.

The station reported that a humane officer called it the worst case of animal cruelty she'd ever investigated.

By the time Sutton stood in front of Cicconetti on Monday, the outspoken judge admitted that he had a distinct idea of how he'd like to see the pet killer pay for his crime, according to video footage published by NBC affiliate WKYC.

"You are just vicious," he said while Sutton -- handcuffed and solemn-looking -- stood before him. "You are revolting. You are cruel. You are inhuman, what you did here."

He added: "Oh, would I like to put you in a Dumpster? Oh, yeah. I would love to do that."

But Cicconetti noted that he was unable to administer one of his "creative sentences" because Sutton was not a first-time offender.

The judge's unusual punishments are reserved for a small percentage of first-time offenders and always come with an alternative sentence -- usually jail time, community service, fines, or some combination thereof.

 

The judge maintains that he has seen very few repeat offenders since he began handing out unorthodox punishments in the mid-1990s, according to the News-Herald.

There was the time he forced a woman who abandoned sickly kittens to spend a night alone in the woods without water, food or entertainment.

If I remember correctly, she didn't actually spend the entire night outside because her attorney whined that it was too dangerous and inhumane. She sat on a park bench for a few hours and then was allowed to go home.

Or the time a man caught with a loaded gun was ordered to go to the local morgue to view corpses.

On another occasion in 2002, a man who had referred to a police officer as a "pig" was order to stand beside a live pig with a sign that read, "This is not a police officer."

Ten years ago, Cicconetti offered to cut the sentence of a man who shot his Great Dane in the head -- but only if the owner of the slain dog agreed to wear a Safety Pup costume and visit Painesville's elementary schools.

"We started small," the judge told the News-Herald in 2012. "It was more out of frustration because after a year or two years, we were seeing the same people come back, with the same offenses. I thought, 'There has to be a better way to do this.'

"Some people, let's face it, you're never going to deter their conduct. It took me awhile to figure that out, too. I can't be the savior of all, because some people don't want to be saved."

On Monday, Cicconetti appeared to imply that Sutton fell into that category as well, saying he had no choice but to sentence him to six months in jail and give him five years probation, according to WKYC footage.

The judge also forbade Sutton from ever owning an animal again.

"I wish I could say you're not allowed to be around people, 'cause look what you do," Cicconetti said.

"I will guarantee you that after you get out, there's going to be another offense," he added, prompting Sutton to nod in agreement.

Sutton's criminal record includes two domestic violence cases and pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges of criminal damaging or endangering and discharging firearms, according to the News-Herald. He is no longer allowed in his own mother's home, the paper noted.

In a video clip on another news site, they said he assaulted his pregnant girlfriend in the maternity ward of a hospital.

During a previous court appearance, the News-Herald reported, Sutton maintained he was "very compassionate to animals," said he was "very emotional" when the incident occurred and noted that he needs help getting back on unspecified medication.

Dismissing Sutton's mental illness defense, Cicconetti said the young man had already had plenty of time to get on medication.

"I am sick and tired of people coming in here and blaming this on mental illness," he said. "Then we have to get you medication. We have to pay for it, and then you don't take it. Where does that leave a court? I know what I'd like to do."

He added: "I'd like to give you one of those creative sentences, but that's for people who can be rehabilitated, people who are first offenders. You are not. You are not one of those people. You are just brutal and savage, and that's all there is to it."

(Chicago Tribune - May 17, 2016)

Earlier:

• Ohio: Michael Sutton, who admitted to Painesville police he threw dog to its death out of sixth-floor window, pleads not guilty

Ohio: Michael Sutton, who admitted to Painesville police he threw dog to its death out of sixth-floor window, pleads not guilty

OHIO -- A $50,000 cash bond has been set for the man who admitted to Painesville police he threw a dog out of a sixth-floor apartment window.

Painesville police were called to Washington Square Apartments at 111 E. Washington St. around 8 a.m. May 3 after they received a call that building staff found a deceased dog in the trash compactor.

Officers were able to identify the owner as 23-year-old Michael Andrew Sutton. According to a news release from the Painesville Police Department, Sutton confessed to throwing the dog out of a sixth-story window in the apartment complex.

Sutton, 23, initially attempted to plead guilty to first-degree misdemeanor animal cruelty before acting judge Erik L. Walter in a video arraignment on May 4 in Painesville Municipal Court.

He said that he wasn’t in his right state of mind.

 

“I love animals, I’m very compassionate to animals,” Sutton said. “I was very emotional, I need help getting back on my medication and I do need to see my therapist, get back to receiving their help.”

After hearing Sutton’s comments, Walter suggested that Sutton plead not guilty.

“I take issue with your comment that you love animals when you threw one out a sixth-floor window,” Walter said. “That does not seem like love for animals, quite frankly.”

Sutton ended up pleading not guilty to the charge.

Sutton’s previous criminal record includes two domestic violence cases in Painesville Municipal Court. In 2011, he pleaded guilty in Willoughby Municipal Court to misdemeanor charges of criminal damaging or endangering and discharging firearms.

He no longer has permanent place of residence as he is no longer permitted in his mother’s home.

RIP little Knox

The Lake Humane Society was called to the scene May 3 and took custody of the dog’s remains and will have an autopsy completed on the dog to establish a cause of death.

Additional conditions of Sutton’s bond include taking all prescribed medications and not to own, harbor or possess any pets.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. May 12.

(News Herald - May 4, 2016)

California: Willie Bee Turner to serve 3 years for burning pet alive in January 2015

CALIFORNIA -- Willie Bee Turner drenched his puppy with bleach. He then tossed it off of a balcony railing, but it survived.

The next night, he locked the puppy in a portable pet kennel, carried it from the apartment building where he stayed with friends across the street and set the animal and cart ablaze on the sidewalk, burning the weeks-old Chihuahua alive.

For this, Turner, 21, of Oakland, was sentenced Friday in Sacramento Superior Court to three years and eight months in state prison for animal cruelty causing death, animal cruelty and arson for setting the caramel-colored pup he named Angel Star alight in January 2015. Superior Court Judge Lawrence Brown called the crime “an unspeakable affront to societal norms.”

“There is a darkness in the defendant,” Brown said from the bench as an impassive Turner looked on. Brown said he thought about the case again earlier that morning as he walked his own dog before work.

A Sacramento County jury convicted Turner in March of abusing and killing the 8-week-old Chihuahua mix. The dog’s charred remains were found outside a Masonic Lodge on Becerra Way near Marconi Avenue early Jan. 22, 2015. Turner was arrested that February.

Prosecutors said Angel Star defecated on the floor of the Marconi Avenue apartment where Turner stayed Jan. 20, 2015, and received a soaking of bleach as punishment. Witnesses saw the dog limping and smelling of bleach and alcohol the following day, prosecutors sad. The cruelty escalated from there, prosecutors said, culminating in the grisly fire outside the Masonic Lodge in the minutes after midnight Jan. 22, 2015.

A passing motorist saw the blaze and called 911.

Firefighters, then a community, were shocked by what was found. Tips from the public led to Turner’s arrest.

Turner cannot own a pet for 10 years. He will be registered as a lifetime arson offender and will no longer be allowed to own or possess a firearm.

But the term – Turner has already served more than a year in Sacramento County custody – frustrated animal advocates and Deputy District Attorney Hilary Bagley, who chafed at the limits of present sentencing guidelines. Numerous others wrote letters to the court expressing outrage. Brown acknowledged the correspondence from the bench.

“This is a piddly sentence for such a heinous crime,” Bagley told the judge, saying she was disappointed in Turner’s statement to county probation officials that he “takes responsibility for the things he did not do.”

 

“Significant introspection for this type of crime is needed,” Bagley said. “Clearly, that hasn’t happened.”

“The results of this grotesque case of cruelty – the outcome of three years, eight months for the tossing off a balcony, dousing with bleach and the setting of this monster’s puppy on fire hardly does justice to this little life,” said Placerville-area animal advocate Jennifer Canady, a regular presence at Turner’s trial, after Friday’s sentencing hearing.

Lawmakers, too, have pushed for changes to the cruelty statutes, but the effort remains an uphill battle.

State Sen. Jeff Stone, R-Temecula, who represents Riverside County, recently lost a bid to double the sentences for animal cruelty crimes. The legislation, Senate Bill 1395, proposed by a high school student in his district, failed to move out of the Senate’s Public Safety Committee.

“There’s no consequence for treating an animal in this way,” Stone said Friday. “We shouldn’t have to have a horrific event like this for something to happen.”

(Sacramento Bee - April 29, 2016)

Earlier:

• Sac Metro: Dog found in crate was burned alive
• Oakland man, Willie Bee Turner, accused of burning puppy alive in crate in Sacramento
• California: Jury convicts Northern California man Willie Turner of burning 8-week-old puppy alive