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Case ID: 16828
Classification: Throwing
Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
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Attorneys/Judges
Prosecutor(s): Kimberly DiPietro
Defense(s): Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr
Judge(s): William C. Mulford II


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CONVICTED: Was justice served?

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Case #16828 Rating: 3.0 out of 5



Dog thrown on floor suffers internal injuries
Lothian, MD (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Nov 12, 2009
County: Anne Arundel

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Glenn Allen Townsend, Jr.

A former Lothian resident received a suspended 90-day sentence yesterday for inflicting unnecessary pain and suffering last year on a family dog.

Glenn A. Townsend Jr., 39, now of St. Mary's County, entered an Alford plea to one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped a count of felony animal mutilation.

An Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain his innocence while admitting that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict. It carries all the consequences of a guilty plea.

According to prosecutors, Townsend pulled a 26-pound mixed hound from under a kitchen table Nov. 12, 2009, picked it up by the neck and threw it "hard to the floor."

Assistant State's Attorney Kimberly DiPietro said the dog, named Hope, sustained serious internal injuries that ultimately required Animal Control to euthanize the animal.

Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., Townsend's defense attorney, disputed the state's version of events. Reading a witness statement, he said the dog scratched his client and that Townsend merely dropped the animal. He added that the state's eyewitness - the daughter of Townsend's fiancee - has recanted her initial statement to police.

"The state has no witness in this case," Miller said.

State sentencing guidelines recommended Townsend serve between three months and nine months in jail.

Townsend was sentenced yesterday to 90 days in jail, but Circuit Court Judge William C. Mulford II suspended the entire sentence in accordance with a plea agreement.

Mulford placed Townsend on one year supervised probation and ordered him to complete an anger management class.

Over the objections of prosecutors, Mulford ruled Townsend and his family may continue to own animals.

"I think the kids are probably going to bring in animals, and I want to make sure they are taken care of, but I think that there are some different circumstances in this case," Mulford said without elaborating.

References

« MD State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Anne Arundel County, MD

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