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Case #6843 Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Puppy kicked, dragged 625 feet til paws bloody
Bristol, PA (US)Incident Date: Monday, Jul 12, 2004
County: Bucks
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Daniel Heckman, III
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
A man accused of dragging and beating a 4-month-old dog, leaving a trail of blood on the sidewalk, was sentenced to 45 days in jail.
Daniel Heckman, 25, of Bristol, also was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine to the Bucks County SPCA along with $242 in veterinary bills for the male bull terrier.
Heckman was convicted in a non-jury trial of cruelty to animals and disorderly conduct. He began to cry as Judge Alan Rubenstein announced the verdict. "Dogs are my life," Heckman said. "I love dogs." "Well, they're not going to be part of your life after today," Rubenstein said. "You put this dog through a very horrible experience. It was a cruel, deliberate act."
Heckman denied beating the dog and testified that the animal had stepped in some broken glass. His attorney, Robert Gamburg, said Heckman had paid nearly $2,000 for the dog, intended to breed him, and "certainly did not intend to injure his dog."
A 911 dispatcher received a call July 12, 2004, from a resident who said Heckman was "dragging the dog and beating it." Bristol Police Cpl. Joseph Moors, who responded, said he found Heckman abusing the dog. "He was kicking the dog in the stomach," Moors said. "He was just dragging the dog down the street." Police said they measured a 625-foot trail of blood. A veterinarian testified that the pads on all four of the dog's paws were scraped and "sheared off," and that the dog had rib fractures and yelped when his hip was touched.
The dog has recovered and has been adopted. Two other bull terriers and a boxer were removed from Heckman's home.
Case Updates| Bristol man, jailed last year for dragging and kicking a bull terrier puppy, has been charged again with animal abuse after a bulldog in his care died from apparent heat exposure. A police officer found three other dogs on his property without food, water or suitable shelter. The temperature was 92 degrees in Bristol on Memorial Day and flies were on the dead dog when Officer Charles Palmer visited 439 Washington St., the home of Daniel Heckman III and his girlfriend. | Source: PhillyBurbs.Com - June 30, 2006
Update posted on Jul 1, 2006 - 8:30AM |
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