Animal Abuse: Dog choked, kicked and thrown, resulting in death - Annapolis, MD

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Case ID: 15740

Classification: Choking / Strangulation / Suffocation, Kicking/Stomping

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Attorneys/Judges

Prosecutor(s):	Kimberly DiPietro
Defense(s):	Stacy McCormack
Judge(s):	Paul A. Hackner

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Case #15740 Rating: 5.0 out of 5

Dog choked, kicked and thrown, resulting in death
Annapolis, MD (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Mar 7, 2009
County: Anne Arundel

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Donte W. McCreary

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

An Annapolis man was arrested Saturday after police said he killed his girlfriend's dog, city police said.

The 21-year-old woman told police her boyfriend had killed her 3- month-old rat terrier at their home on President Street at 2 a.m. The woman said she and her boyfriend were arguing.

The boyfriend told her he was going to kill the dog because the woman cared about it more than him, police said.

Then he grabbed the puppy, choked it, threw it to the ground and kicked it. The dog eventually died.

Donte W. McCreary, 19, of President Street, was charged with mutilating an animal and animal cruelty, police said.

He also was served with an open warrant for second-degree assault and reckless endangerment from a prior incident, according to reports.

Case Updates

An Annapolis man was sentenced yesterday to the maximum three years in prison for killing his girlfriend's dog during an argument over their relationship in March.

Donte W. McCreary, 20, of Pleasant Street, pleaded guilty to one count of felony animal cruelty in the brutal March 7 beating of the 3-month-old rat terrier, which occurred in front of his 21-year-old girlfriend and their 11-month-old son.

"This is not just cruel to the animal. This is cruel to your child. This is cruel to your girlfriend," Assistant State's Attorney Kimberly DiPietro told the court, noting that McCreary killed the dog because he thought Laura Sanford loved it more than him. "I cannot imagine what he would be capable of doing if he ever thought Ms. Sanford loved their child more than him."

Assistant Public Defender Stacy McCormack, McCreary's defense attorney, said her client was drunk at the time of the attack and mentally unstable. Since his arrest five months ago, he has been diagnosed with major depression and a borderline personality disorder, she said. He has been going to anger-management classes, attending substance-abuse treatment and working to turn his life around.

"He is not the same person he was then," McCormack said.

According to prosecutors, McCreary and Sanford were arguing about 2 a.m. March 7 when he became enraged. He thought Sanford - an avid dog lover who regularly volunteers and works with animals - loved their new rat terrier more than him.

McCreary picked up the small, 4-pound, black and white dog. He strangled it with his bare hands, threw it to the ground, stabbed it with a kitchen knife and otherwise abused the animal, DiPietro said. Finally, McCreary showed the bloody, lifeless body to his girlfriend and son, and threw it away in a Dumpster.

"The number of ways that he attacked this animal, it's shocking" said DiPietro, who has prosecuted several other high-profile cases of animal cruelty.

Sanford reported the incident to city police about 3 p.m. March 7. Officers found the dog and questioned McCreary, who told police it was attacked by another, larger dog - perhaps a Labrador or golden retriever.

Officers didn't believe him. He was arrested that day and charged with numerous animal cruelty charges.

McCreary also pleaded guilty yesterday to second-degree assault in a separate Dec. 24, 2008, attack on his girlfriend, which was not reported to police until after the dog was killed. DiPietro said McCreary hit and pushed Sanford during an argument.

Sanford, whom prosecutors said has visited McCreary in jail, did not address the court. She declined to comment to The Capital after the hearing and chastised her mother for speaking to reporters.

Carolyn Sanford, Laura Sanford's mother, said she fears for her daughter and grandson. She worried what McCreary will do when he gets out.

"I sincerely fear that if Donte is not prohibited from being with Laura and the baby, it is simply a matter of time before he will repeat his violent actions, perhaps with even a worse outcome," she wrote in a letter to the court.

Circuit Court Judge Paul A. Hackner sentenced McCreary to three years in prison for the animal cruelty and 10 years for the second-degree assault. He then suspended all but three years of the sentence. Upon his release from prison, McCreary will be on supervised probation for five years.

Sue Beatty, executive director for the SPCA of Anne Arundel County, praised the sentence.

"Any acts of cruelty should be punished to the fullest extent of the law," she said after hearing the nature of the crime. "There is no reason to abuse an animal like that."

Source: Hometown Annapolis - Aug 21, 2009
Update posted on Aug 23, 2009 - 6:28PM

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References

- March 9, 2009

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Dog choked, kicked and thrown, resulting in deathAnnapolis, MD (US)

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Dog choked, kicked and thrown, resulting in death
Annapolis, MD (US)