Animal Abuse: Dog castrated with dull pocket knife - Venice, FL

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Case ID: 1785

Classification: Mutilation/Torture

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Case #1785 Rating: 2.7 out of 5

Dog castrated with dull pocket knife
Venice, FL (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Nov 30, 2002
County: Sarasota

Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Larry T. Drown

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

A Venice man is scheduled for trial Monday on animal cruelty charges for castrating a German shepherd with a dull pocketknife last year.

Larry T. Drown, 44, faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted of third-degree felony charges.

According to a police report, Drown became upset that the dog, named Lightning, repeatedly had run away, a condition he blamed on the animal being in heat.

In December, Drown caught the dog, hog-tied it, bound its mouth and hacked off its testicles.

Responding to an anonymous tip, police found Lightning bleeding profusely and tied to a tree in the back yard. The animal was rushed to Sarasota Emergency Veterinary Clinic, where a veterinarian performed life-saving surgery. Lightning recovered and is living with another family.

Rhonda Stackhouse, Lightning's owner at the time of the attack, told police she was trying to get the dog neutered before Drown did it himself.

"I asked what happened," she wrote in a police statement. "They (police) said Larry fixed him."

The case has outraged environmental activists.

Martin Mersereau, caseworker for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), based in Norfolk, Va., called this "one of the more egregious cases we've seen."

Mersereau said that studies have shown that people who abuse animals are likely to commit violent attacks against people.

PETA this week wrote Assistant State Attorney Thomas Krug, who is prosecuting the case, urging him to seek a maximum sentence against Drown, as well as psychological counseling.

Drown has been free on $1,000 bond. Attempts to reach him or his attorney, public defender Frederick Wernicke, for comment were unsuccessful.

Drown's father, also named Larry, of Nokomis, said his son told him, "It's been blown way out of proportion.

"I don't know what to believe," Drown Sr. said. "If the charges are true, he should go to jail."

Sarasota County court records show Drown has faced 18 other criminal charges since 1995, including battery and resisting arrest.

The jury trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in Courtroom 4-B at the county Judicial Center in Sarasota.

Case Updates

Dog mutilator Larry Drown Jr. was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in jail for cutting the testicles off a dog.

Drown, 44, of Venice, pleaded no contest to the charge. He was adjudicated guilty by Sarasota County Circuit Judge Harry M. Rapkin on Nov. 19.

He could have gotten up to five years in prison. Because his sentence is less than one year, Drown will be incarcerated in the North County Jail. He will receive credit for 38 days served waiting for trial.In addition, Drown was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and $50 in costs.

Drown failed to show up for his first scheduled trial Oct. 13. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Drown was originally arrested on the charge on Dec. 29, 2002.

What happened, according to the police report, an anonymous caller tipped police that a German shepherd in the 1900 block Redfern Road had had its testicles cut off and was bleeding badly. When the officer got to the house,
Drown and a juvenile were there. The juvenile said his guardian, the dog's owner, was not home.

The juvenile told the deputy that the family dog, "Lightning," was in heat and had run away. He said the dog came back and got caught on the backyard fence. Drown lied to police. He told the officer he was a visitor and did not know anything. The officer found the dog tied to a tree with its tail soaked in blood and called Animal Services. An officer came out and took the dog to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Sarasota. The veterinarian said the animal would have died within two hours had he not been brought there. (A recent check showed the dog was alive and living with a family at an undisclosed location.)

During an interview with police a short time later, the juvenile changed his story. He told investigators that Drown tied the dog's paws together, tied its mouth shut and castrated it.

The boy told the officer that Drown threatened him and told him not to tell anyone what happened.

Familiar with jail, Drown is no stranger to jails. He has a lengthy criminal history dating back to July 1995. The offenses include drugs, battery, worthless checks, DUI, disorderly intoxication, resisting an officer and petit larceny.

Update posted on Dec 26, 2003 - 2:16AM

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Dog castrated with dull pocket knifeVenice, FL (US)

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Dog castrated with dull pocket knife
Venice, FL (US)