Updated: 10/14/2009 6:59:09 PM
A Sevier County judge has sentenced an 18-year-old for what animal control officers call one of the worst cases of animal cruelty they've ever seen.
The investigation dates back to mid-March, when animal control officers got an anonymous tip about a pit bull stabbed and beaten to death in a Sevierville neighborhood.
Tyler Vincent Castellano, 18, and his 17-year-old friend were outside a home with a dog.
A stray dog walked up, and the two dogs got into a minor scuffle.
"The teens broke the canines up and loaded the particular canine into the back of a truck," said Sevier County Animal Control Officer Deputy Chris Hughes.
But the truck wouldn't start.
"So they decided they'd put it on a leash and lead it a mile from there to here," Hughes said pointing to the wooded area behind him.
Hughes says that mile-long walk is where the charge of animal cruelty begins.
"It was not a vicious dog. If it was, they couldn't have led it from there to here," he said. "A vicious dog would eat you up."
The boys took the dog into a wooded area just feet from the road.
"'To take care of it' is what they said," Hughes explained.
When the boys got to a clearing, animal control says they tied the dog to a tree with a nylon rope and began stabbing it in the throat.
"She ran out as far as she could, then she kept coming back in," Hughes recounted.
The dog ran around the tree so many times that the rope began to strangle her.
"By the marks on the tree, she must've been suspended about head high," Hughes said.
The investigation showed the boys cut the rope and lead her to a nearby hole, where they beat her to death with a cedar tree branch.
"It's pretty devastating," Hughes said. "The method in this particular one is what made it so brutal and made it stand out."
Castellano was charged with intentional killing of an animal, a felony animal cruelty charge. He was sentenced Tuesday to 60 days in jail. In addition, he must take anger management classes, find and hold a job for 2 years, and get his GED.
"To educate him. For him to understand that this is not right," Hughes said.
Castellano will also undergo a mental health evaluation and receive counseling.
The juvenile who was with Castellano was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty. He was sentenced to 65 hours of community service and must undergo a mental health evaluation as well.
Officials say some of the best rehabilitation for juveniles convicted of animal cruelty is therapy and education. Studies show children who abuse animals are more likely to hurt humans later in life.
"Dogs and cats are weaker than another person," said Dr. Elizabeth Strand of the UT Veterinary Social Work Program. "So they're an easy target. A child that has anger problems, anger management problems, may take that anger out on an animal."
