Attorneys/Judges
| Defense(s): | Charles A. Moore | | Judge(s): | Robert D. Herndon |
CONVICTED: Was justice served?
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Case #15940 Rating: 2.0 out of 5
Litter of puppies beaten to death, dog stabbed
Oregon City, OR (US)Incident Date: Friday, Sep 4, 2009
County: Clackamas
Charges: Misdemeanor, Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Joshua Kyle Stitt
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
An Oregon City-area man reportedly discharged from the U.S. Marines for mental instability is set to be charged today in the beating and stabbing deaths of seven dogs.
Police said Joshua Kyle Stitt, 21, who lives on South Central Point Road, south of Oregon City, is set to be arraigned in Clackamas County Circuit Court today on seven counts of first-degree aggravated animal abuse, a Class C felony. Maximum penalty for each count is five years in prison and a $125,000 fine.
He is being held in the Clackamas County Jail, with bail set at $105,000.
Detective Jim Strovink, Clackamas County sheriff's spokesman, said John Stitt reported that his son, Joshua, had stabbed and killed the father's blue heeler-Doberman mix, Blue, on Sept. 4, after the dog bit him. He said his son told him he stood on the dog's leash, then stabbed it in the neck with a pocket knife and slit its throat.
Later, John Stitt told deputies, his son beat a litter of puppies to death with a steel rod, then tore down the kennel where they were kept.
He told deputies his son earlier was discharged from the Marines because of mental problems.
Deputies arrested Joshua Stitt Friday evening and booked him into the jail.
Case UpdatesA Oregon City man who slit a dog's throat and beat six puppies to death will serve 130 days in the Clackamas County Jail.
Joshua Kyle Stitt, 21, pleaded guilty Friday to four counts of aggravated animal abuse in the first degree and a misdemeanor charge of animal abuse.
"There are people who are going to read about this sentence and ... be more angry than if you killed a child," said Circuit Judge Robert D. Herndon.
Herndon also sentenced Stitt, to 18 months of supervised probation followed by 3 1/2 years of unsupervised probation.
On Sept. 4, Stitt stabbed his father's blue heeler-Doberman mix, Blue, 10 times using a pocket knife with a three-inch blade and cut the dog's throat, said Sarah Dumont, a Clackamas County deputy district attorney.
The dog did not die quickly, Dumont said.
Stitt also beat six puppies to death with a metal rod, dismembering some of the dogs, Dumont said.
Stitt did not offer any explanation for his actions. His attorney, Charles A. Moore said Stitt killed the older dog because he feared it was going to bite his wife. He killed the puppies because he was moving and didn't have the money to take them to the pound, Moore said.
Blue belonged to Stitt before he joined the U.S. Marines. While he was away, the dog bonded with Stitt's father, John.
John Stitt told deputies his son was discharged from the Marines because of mental problems.
Herndon ordered Joshua Stitt to undergo a mental evaluation and to follow whatever treatment is recommended. He also prohibited Stitt from possessing any animals for the five years he is on probation.
"If it were up to me, you'd be prohibited from owning any animals for the rest of your life," Herndon said. | Source: Oregon Live - Nov 13, 2009
Update posted on Nov 15, 2009 - 1:50PM |
References« OR State Animal Cruelty Map
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