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Guilty Pleas For Men Charged In Dog Stabbings
By: WOUB Contributing Writer
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"This is the meanest act I've ever seen," we're the words of Judge Oakley Clark Collins Jr. just before sentencing the two men who pleaded guilty to stabbing and slitting the throats of two dogs.
Jonathan Jiles, 20, of Pedro, and Brian Sharp, 20, of Pedro, pleaded guilty to prohibition concerning companion animals and criminal trespassing during a hearing in Ironton Municipal court Thursday morning.
Each man was sentenced to seven months in the county jail, three years probation and fined $1,200. They must also pay restitution of $800 to the dog’s owner and can’t own a penned animal for three years.
The dog’s owners, Josie and Michael Scythes, found "Bubba" and "Bear" stabbed to death in the front yard of their home in Pedro last month.
Sheriff Lawless says following their arrest, both men admitted to their involvement in the stabbings and said they were drunk at the time. They also said they did not target the owners of the dogs.
Both Jiles and Sharp told the court they were sorry for what they did but the dog’s owner said they wish more could be done in cases like this.
“I just couldn't believe why they would do something like this. Why they would want to do it. I'm very pleased they got the max the law would allow for such a brutal act. It should be considered a felony,” said Josie Scytes.
This article was contributed by WSAZ Television in Huntington, WV.