A Frankfort man, who was arrested earlier this week for animal cruelty and intimidation stemming from an incident with the family dog, has pleaded guilty to both charges.
William Allen Pierce is awaiting a Nov. 29 sentencing in connection to the Sunday shooting of his daughter�s puppy, Luie.
Clinton County Prosecutor Louis Evans said Pierce could serve up to three years for the felony charge of animal cruelty, as well as up to one year for each of the two counts of intimidation.
On Sunday, Pierce told Frankfort police the puppy had defecated twice in his home at 1003 W. Jefferson Street, and that was the reason he �got rid of it.�
After shooting it with a pellet gun, Pierce placed the puppy in a plastic bag and deposited it in an outside trash can. The animal survived.
According to police reports, Pierce had threatened to kill his wife, Vicki, and another man identified as Richard Butcher if they called police.
To contact the prosecutor in this case and request the maximum sentence:
The Honorable Louis B. Evans
Clinton County Prosecutor
475 Courthouse Sq.
Frankfort, IN 46041 Case Updates| Posted on Dec 29, 2004 - 4:08AM | William Pierce, 55, of Frankfort, apologized for his actions at sentencing in Clinton Superior Court. He admitted he had been drinking while on prescription drugs the night he shot the dog with a pellet gun.
"It was barking," he said. "I had my mind on other things, and it yapped. The condition I was in, I turned and fired and hit the dog."
County animal control officer David Doud said he responded to a call the night of Oct. 31 and found the basset hound pup outdoors in a trash can. He said the dog -- still alive -- was shot above the left eye.
Doud took the puppy home with him for the night and later found two small wounds on its legs. The puppy survived.
Pierce was charged with cruelty to animals and intimidation.
During the sentencing Tuesday, Judge Kathy Smith said studies show that a person who tortures an animal is likely to hurt a human being.
Smith sentenced Pierce to 2 1/2 years in jail. Of that, he will serve nine months consecutively for cruelty to animals and intimidation and the remainder on probation. He must have no contact with pets.
Pierce faces a trial March 29 on another intimidation charge. | | Source: IndyStar - Dec 23, 2004 |
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