Posted on 02/10/2005 10:08:45 PM PST by ambrose
Man Gets 2 Years for Puppy Killing
A Knox County man accused of killing a puppy and tormenting his estranged wife and her daughter is on the way to prison.
This case is so disturbing that it's the first felony conviction of animal cruelty in Knox County.
But is the sentence still too weak? The defendant's wife thinks so.
As Volunteer TV’s Ron Sprowl reports, prosecutors say Timothy David Sawyer met his estranged wife and her daughter at the door laughing. He said he had something to show them.
"The puppy had suffered a blunt trauma to her head and her neck had been broken," says Willie Harper, assistant district attorney.
Sawyer is charged with killing eight week old Sophie, a Jack Russell Terrier by slamming her body into a door and forced her to take make-up.
Script court records show sawyer has repeated arrests for domestic violence involving wife Patti Sawyer.
"If anything good can come out of this puppy's death I want every woman out there that's in this situation to realize it's not going to get any better it's only going to get worse," says Patti Sawyer, estranged wife.
“When you look at someone who has the capability to perform this type of violent act against an animal this is a person that can do the exact same thing to a person,” says Harper.
A judge sentenced Sawyer to two years in prison, but with time already served he could be eligible for parole in six months.
"I know you can't compare the life of an animal to the life of a child but I think if a stiffer sentence would have been imposed maybe the next person that does this they'd think twice," says Patti Sawyer.
Sawyer still awaits a chancery court hearing later this month.
Prosecutors say Thursday’s sentencing was an outrage because he's not spending more time in jail.
But to do that, laws would have to be changed by the legislature.
I'm sorry, but it would not be, if I caught him in the act.
I am not a kabbalah nut. Kabbalah is crap unless studied by those who have studied Torah and Talmud for many years. As for the Law, oral Law (Talmud) got rid of stoning kids. It also upholds decency to animals.
I'm with you, sinkspur.
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