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First Man Convicted under Tennessee's Animal Cruelty Law

Friday, February 11, 2005

Timothy Sawyer is the first man convicted under a new law that took effect last year in Tennessee. The law makes aggravated animal cruelty a "class E felony" with mandatory prison time. Sawyer will serve 1 to 2 years in prison for killing a puppy.
Aggravated animal cruelty is defined as an act committed on a companion animal with intention to kill or cause serious injury carried out in a depraved and sadistic manner. It can also include failure to provide food and water that results in death or risk of death.

Before the law took effect on July 1st, animal cruelty was only a misdemeanor in Tennessee. It didn't reach the level of a felony unless there was more than one offense.
I've seen studies showing that people who commit acts of cruelty against animals, violent acts like beatings and killings, are more likely to commit those acts against people too. By putting them in prison, it protects people.

3 Comments:

  • Go Tennessee! It's a step in the right direction for the right reasons. Now the rest of the country needs to wake up.

    By Anonymous Barb, at 8:35 AM, February 12, 2005  

  • Wrong Priorities!

    If an average murder gets 3 years for a human being, why is a puppy is 1-2 years?

    Using the 2 year for a puppy guidleine, then a human murder should get at least 10-15 years in prison.

    By Blogger Dark13, at 1:20 AM, February 13, 2005  

  • Wrong dark 13.. Animal abuse is linked to human violence. If we can discover and treat people who abuse animals maybe there would be less murders. Why should a puppy's life be more worthless than a humans? They do just as good for us as we do for ourselves. They are less selfish than we are. Animals are animals..and we too are just that.. Animals..

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:50 AM, December 06, 2007  

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