Carl E. Leonard III of Blacksburg was convicted Friday of animal cruelty in the death of his friend's dog can't have any other animals in his care for the coming year, according to a plea agreement struck in the year-old case.
Blacksburg had been charged with felony animal cruelty for throwing a food bowl at Indeca, a year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, on March 10 while her owner was at work. Indeca, who sat in her kennel for nearly a day without treatment for her wounds, died March 11.
On Friday, Leonard accepted a plea agreement and was convicted of the misdemeanor version of the crime in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Through the agreement, the court suspended a six-month jail sentence and ordered him to serve 12 months probation, perform 25 hours of community service and reimburse Blake Frost, the dog's owner, for her vet bills.
Leonard had been charged with a felony under a state law that took effect in July 2002. It is dubbed the "T-Bone" bill because it was inspired by an English pointer named T-Bone that belonged to a Franklin County woman. That dog was shot and killed.
Adam Pagent, Leonard's friend, was outside the apartment the night of March 10 with Leonard and the dog. He testified that another roommate had playfully tossed Indeca a few feet into the air when Leonard picked up the metal bowl and hurled it at the dog's head.
"He threw it about as hard as he could," Pagent testified.
Indeca fell to the ground and fled underneath a shed, he testified. No one said anything about the incident, and Pagent immediately left, he testified.
"It was a small dog, and it was a pretty good-sized bowl," he said.
Another friend, Sarah Robinson, said she was at the apartment the evening of March 11 waiting for Frost to return home when Leonard mentioned something was wrong with Indeca.
"She was laying on her side, half in and half out of the kennel," Robinson testified.
Indeca's eyes were bloody and she appeared to be having a seizure, Robinson testified. She and her boyfriend took the dog to the animal hospital and began calling Frost.
Veterinarian Laura Snyder testified that the dog was comatose when she arrived at the hospital, and her condition worsened in a few hours.
Frost buried Indeca in Floyd County and later contacted Blacksburg police about the dog's death. Officers did not testify at the preliminary hearing.
Defense attorney Bill Cleaveland argued that witnesses weren't clear on where the bowl struck Indeca's head, putting the case in doubt.
Cleaveland also said the law - dubbed the "T-Bone" bill because it was inspired by an English pointer named T-Bone that was shot and killed - requires euthanasia to be the only option available to the animal's owner. Snyder testified that she told Frost "there were options," Cleaveland argued.
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Eric Branscom countered that the evidence was enough to support the charge. Williams agreed. Case Updates| Leonard had been charged with a felony under a state law that took effect in July 2002. It is dubbed the "T-Bone" bill because it was inspired by an English pointer named T-Bone that belonged to a Franklin County woman. That dog was shot and killed. | | Update posted on Dec 26, 2003 - 1:38AM |
Carl E. Leonard III of Blacksburg convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty. Under a plea agreement, Carl Leonard was convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty for throwing a food bowl at Indeca.
Carl E. Leonard III of Blacksburg was convicted Friday of animal cruelty in the death of his friend's dog can't have any other animals in his care for the coming year, according to a plea agreement struck in the year-old case.
Carl E. Leonard III of Blacksburg had been charged with felony animal cruelty for throwing a food bowl at Indeca, a year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi, on March 10 while her owner was at work. Indeca, who sat in her kennel for nearly a day without treatment for her wounds, died March 11.
On Friday, Leonard accepted a plea agreement and was convicted of the misdemeanor version of the crime in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Through the agreement, the court suspended a six-month jail sentence and ordered him to serve 12 months probation, perform 25 hours of community service and reimburse Blake Frost, the dog's owner, for her vet bills. | | Update posted on Dec 26, 2003 - 1:34AM |
Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
Back to Top References | Roanake Times |
« VA State Animal Cruelty Map
|
