Attorneys/Judges
| Prosecutor(s): | JoAnn Miller | | Defense(s): | Bill Tufts | | Judge(s): | Eveleen Henry |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
more information on voting
When you vote, you are voting on whether or not the punishment fit the crime, NOT on the severity of the case itself. If you feel the sentence was very weak, you would vote 1 star. If you feel the sentence was very strong, you would vote 5 stars.
Please vote honestly and realistically. These ratings will be used a a tool for many future programs, including a "People’s Choice" of best and worst sentencing, DA and judge "report cards", and more. Try to resist the temptation to vote 1 star on every case, even if you feel that 100 years in prison isn’t enough.
Case #15601 Rating: 1.0 out of 5
Puppy beaten to death
Springfield, OR (US)Incident Date: Friday, Jun 19, 2009
County: Lane
Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Lucas Xavier Fourmyle
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A Springfield man accused of beating a puppy to death has been charged with felony animal abuse.
Springfield police Sgt. Richard Jones says 18-year-old Lucas Xavier Fourmyle made an initial court appearance in Lane County on Wednesday.
The investigation began June 19, when a woman reported to police that Fourmyle hurt her dog. The woman took the puppy to a veterinarian's office, where the animal died during an examination.
According to Jones, the veterinarian reported that the dog's injuries were consistent with being hit by a car. Investigators arrested Fourmyle on Tuesday, concluding that he injured the dog with his hands and feet.
Case UpdatesAn 18-year-old Springfield man pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony aggravated animal abuse for using his martial arts training to kill a 14-week-old puppy.
As a first-time offender, Lucas Xavier Fourmyle received a 10-day jail sentence for the June 19 crime under state guidelines. Lane County Circuit Judge Eveleen Henry also placed Fourmyle on two years of probation and ordered him to complete a mental health evaluation and any recommended treatment, or face additional consequences.In addition, she ordered him to pay $490.48 restitution to the dog's owner.
That was the amount of the bill from the veterinarian who tried to save the dog, a Dalmatian-Labrador mix named Buddy.
Prosecutor JoAnn Miller called the case the most "abhorrent" of her five-year career. She said Fourmyle pummelled the puppy with his fist and palm so forcefully that he fractured the dog's liver.
"When people do things like this, we say they act like animals," Miller said. "But animals don't behave like this."
Miller said Fourmyle used a hose to wash blood from the puppy's body and was carrying Buddy back to his kennel when the dog's owner returned home and caught him with the injured animal.
Fourmyle told Springfield police detective George Crolly he was annoyed by the dog's whining and its soiling the floor of an apartment he shared with the victim and her sister, in the 1900 block of Fifth Street in Springfield.
Miller expressed frustration with state sentencing guidelines in this case, telling Henry she feared he would be back in court in the future.
Henry said she, too, was concerned by the cruelty of Fourmyle's assault.
"I think the reason that almost all people are very disturbed by these kinds of crimes is because the victim was so utterly helpless," the judge said. "Quite frankly, I do want to know what's going on in that head of yours, that you would commit such an overwhelming display of control over a helpless animal."
She told Fourmyle that she feared he might harm other helpless beings, such as children.
Henry ordered that Fourmyle have no contact with domestic animals or with weapons.
Fourmyle didn't speak in court. His attorney, Bill Tufts, took issue with Miller's "pessimism" about his client's future, however. Tufts said Fourmyle has a supportive family and "wants to take responsibility."
If Fourmyle successfully completes his probation and commits no new crimes, the attorney said, he has the opportunity of "putting this completely behind him" by seeking to have the single felony removed from his record. | Source: thefreelibrary.com - Aug 27, 2009
Update posted on Dec 2, 2010 - 2:07PM |
References |
