First the story:

By Karen McCowan, The Register-Guard

An 18-year-old Springfield man pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony aggravated animal abuse for using his martial arts training to kill a 14-week-old puppy.

As a first-time offender, Lucas Xavier Fourmyle received a 10-day jail sentence for the June 19 crime under state guidelines. Lane County Circuit Judge Eveleen Henry also placed Fourmyle on two years of probation and ordered him to complete a mental health evaluation and any recommended treatment, or face additional consequences.In addition, she ordered him to pay $490.48 restitution to the dog’s owner.

That was the amount of the bill from the veterinarian who tried to save the dog, a Dalmatian-Labrador mix named Buddy.

Prosecutor JoAnn Miller called the case the most “abhorrent” of her five-year career. She said Fourmyle pummelled the puppy with his fist and palm so forcefully that he fractured the dog’s liver.

“When people do things like this, we say they act like animals,” Miller said. “But animals don’t behave like this.”

Miller said Fourmyle used a hose to wash blood from the puppy’s body and was carrying Buddy back to his kennel when the dog’s owner returned home and caught him with the injured animal.

Fourmyle told Springfield police detective George Crolly he was annoyed by the dog’s whining and its soiling the floor of an apartment he shared with the victim and her sister, in the 1900 block of Fifth Street in Springfield.

Miller expressed frustration with state sentencing guidelines in this case, telling Henry she feared he would be back in court in the future.

Henry said she, too, was concerned by the cruelty of Fourmyle’s assault.

“I think the reason that almost all people are very disturbed by these kinds of crimes is because the victim was so utterly helpless,” the judge said. “Quite frankly, I do want to know what’s going on in that head of yours, that you would commit such an overwhelming display of control over a helpless animal.”

She told Fourmyle that she feared he might harm other helpless beings, such as children.

Henry ordered that Fourmyle have no contact with domestic animals or with weapons.

Fourmyle didn’t speak in court. His attorney, Bill Tufts, took issue with Miller’s “pessimism” about his client’s future, however. Tufts said Fourmyle has a supportive family and “wants to take responsibility.”

If Fourmyle successfully completes his probation and commits no new crimes, the attorney said, he has the opportunity of “putting this completely behind him” by seeking to have the single felony removed from his record.

Now for action:

This sentence is absurd especially noting that the judge and the prosecutor were frustrated by the limits put on them by state sentencing guidelines.  This criminal is going to kill again and it will be another defenceless  animal or child or woman.  10 days in jail will not deter him from committing another crime nor will it give the criminal system a means by which to monitor him and his psychosis. 

As animal advocates, we cannot just sit and wring our hands and throw out phrases like “poor puppy”, “what a terrible story” or “how disgusting”.  We must do something about it.  We must be heard. 

So this afternoon I researched and found the name and address of the chair of the Oregon State Judicial Committee and wrote him an email about this story asking him to please review it and do what he can to have sentencing guidelines changed, especially in the case of felony animal cruelty crimes.

The following is the information for contact Senator Floyd Prozanski and a copy of my email to him which you can use as a guideline when writing your email or letter.  But please write.  Nothing will ever change as long as we piss and moan about these things but never do anything about it.

Contact Information for Senator Floyd Prozanski:

900 Court St. NE, S-417
Salem, OR 97301
Capitol Phone:
503-986-1704

District Address:
PO Box 11511
Eugene, OR 97440
District Phone:
541-342-2447

Email: sen.floydprozanski@state.or.us

Website: http://www.leg.state.or.us/prozanski/

My email sent:

Senator Floyd Prozanski,
State of Oregon Judicial Committee Chair
900 Court St. NE, S-417
Salem, OR 97301
Dear Sir,

Re: Puppy killer gets 10 days for felony animal cruelty

As the esteemed chair of the Judicial Committee for the State of Oregon, I am writing you this letter to bring to your attention the absurdity of the sentence in this felony animal abuse case.

The criminal in this case brutally beat and killed a tiny defenceless puppy and received nothing more then a slap on the wrist for it despite it being a felony charge.  If you read the online article, you’ll note that both the prosecutor AND the judge were frustrated by state sentencing guidelines that prohibited the judge from handing down a more appropriate prison term.  This man will kill again and he will kill an innocent and defenceless person.  A 10 day prison sentence does nothing to allow the court system to watch this person and possibly save a life in the future.

To me, this is indicates something terribly out of balance in your judicial system.  I would ask you to please review this case and take whatever action you can to make changes to the sentencing guidelines for felony animal cruelty crimes.  If you ignore this issue, it will come back to haunt you when this man’s name shows up again in the courts, this time for killing an innocent child or woman.  I guarantee it.

Respectfully yours,

Related posts:

1. Petition: Demand Justice for Dog Tortured and Killed by Owner
2. UPDATED: Demand Justice for Dog Tortured and Killed by Owner
3. Oreo: Call to Action
4. Puppy Mills Get the Green Light from Governor Schwarzenegger
5. Hey Fabian! You Can Run but You Can’t Hide!