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Animal rights activists
hope the case will help
persuade state
lawmakers to make
animal torture a felony
BY STEPHEN HUNT
The Salt Lake Tribune
A Murray man admitted
today to putting Henry --
his wife's Chihuahua-mix
puppy--into a 200-degree oven
for five minutes.
Marc Christopher Vincent,
36, pleaded guilty to one count
of class A misdemeanor aggra-
vated animal cruelty. In ex-
change, prosecutors dismissed
an identical charge.
Vincent faces up to a year in
jail when he is sentenced Nov.
6 by 3rd District Judge William
Barrett.
But Humane Society of
Utah Director Gene Baier-
schmidt said that to his knowl-
edge, no one in Utah has ever
been jailed for torturing an
animal.
He urged concerned citi-
zens to write to the judge and
prosecutor, asking them to im-
pose the maximum penalty of
one year in jail.
Defense attorney Tara
Haynes told news reporters
her client "has had emotional
problems dealing with anger,"
for which he has been receiv-
ing treatment. |
"He pleaded guilty to what
he did, and he's ready to face
the consequences," she said.
According to the charges,
Vincent's wife came home on
May 8 to find the puppy's left
eye swollen.
Vincent admitted chasing
and cornering the dog with a
leaf blower. Four days later, a
veterinarian removed the
damaged eye.
On May 25, the woman
came home to find the dog's
paws had been burned. Vin-
cent admitted putting it in the
hot oven.
On Monday, Vincent admit-
ted putting the animal in the
oven, removing it and then
putting it back in, for a total of
about five minutes.
The puppy's front paws
were fused together by the heat
and it will always walk with a
limp, according to Baier-
schmidt, who called it the
worst case of animal torture he
could recall during his 18 years
with the Humane Society. He
called animal abusers "scum-
bags."
Baierschmidt is hoping to
use the case to persuade
legislators to make animal tor-
ture a third-degree felony,
punishable by up to five years
in prison.
He said many famous serial
killers tortured animals before
moving on to human victims.
He said a key part of the
legislation would be a require-
ment for psychological
counseling. |