No Leniency for 5 Youth Setting a Dog on Fire
- by: Anita Solomon
- recipient: Mayor's Office of Children and Youth - Danielle Mezera, Metropolitan Courthouse Nashville, TN 37201
Upcoming Court Date: Oct. 15th
The Crime: (Click on letter for petition)
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Five Nashville boys, accused of setting a dog on fire, appeared in court Thursday.
On Tuesday, four of the boys were booked into the juvenile detention center. The youngest boy was sent home, but all appeared in court Thursday.
A juvenile court judge Thursday placed three of the boys under house arrest; one boy was kept in detention and the fifth boy was sent to the custody of the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
The incident happened Sunday near an abandoned house. The boys are ages 9-14.
Metro Animal Control Officer Lina Hernandez said a witness reported seeing the animal "engulfed in flames."
"I heard a dog screaming," said Arthur Greer. "It sounded like someone beating a dog." Greer was in his backyard when he saw what looked like a ball of fire coming down the street.
"He had flames from head to toe and he was running so fast he was burning," Greer said. "He tried to lick himself when he was burning and his face caught on fire."
Someone lit a dog on fire and five boys were accused of doing it.
"They used gasoline from a neighbor's lawn mower or something and poured it on him," said Billy Biggs, Metro Animal Control field operations Officer Billy Biggs. "They were holding him by the collar and somebody struck the lighter."
Biggs is investigating the case.
"We charged all of them with aggravated animal cruelty, which is, in the state of Tennessee, a felony," Biggs said.
Witnesses said when they saw the dog, they went after it, trying to help it, but they never found it.
"It broke my heart and scared me to death see something like that," Greer said. Greer said he went after the boys and turned them in.
"I said, "Did you set the dog on fire?' and they said, "no," Greer said. "So, I took them to the other kid's house and we got all the children from there."
One of the boys' mothers said that her son admitted to the crime.
"My son had the gas," she said. "He said he poured the gas on side of the dog and the other boy lit the match." She said the boys are very sorry.
"They are kids that normally don't set anything or anybody on fire," she said.
Source: http://www.newschannel5.com/global/story.asp?s=6721852
(615) 862-6013
Fax: (615) 880-1813
This Petition is CC'd to:
Mayor: Bill Purcell
Mayor's Office
100 Metro Courthouse
Nashville, TN 37201
Phone: 615-862-6000
Fax: 615-862-6040
We applaud the actions taken by Animal Control field operations Officer Billy Biggs and the Juvenile court Judge in this case.
We hope that these boys will be required to receive psychological evaluations as this heinous crime shows an underlying mental disturbance. We would like to also recommend that the parents and the boys attend family counseling sessions to determine the deficiency in the family unit.
Based upon the possession of the gas can and matches, this heinous crime was intentional, and not a random act of mischief.
Being that children are easily influenced and pressured by their peers, we the undersigned propose a no leniency policy for these boys and future acts of youth violence. Perhaps this will help children understand the consequences of such actions, should they contemplate committing a crime. Hopefully, through your intervention, these boys will grow up to be responsible compassionate adults. It is imperative that you, as exemplary adults, set the standards for these children, because obviously, the boy's parents certainly did not.
Maybe it's time we also sentence parents to do community service for their children who commit crimes. Perhaps if they are held accountable for their child's actions in this way, they will become more responsible parents!
NOTE:Metro Nashville Animal Control Services is to be commended on their HEEL program which helps SAVE the lives of shelter dogs:
Adopt a trained dog from our 'cell dog' program! Metro Nashville Animal Control Services and DCSO have developed a partnership called HEEL (Helping to educate and Enhance Lives).
Offenders are paired with dogs from Metro Animal Control Services for a period of 8 weeks. These specially selected dogs live in the correctional facility with the offenders in their cells.
During the 8-week program, the offenders are given instruction in basic obedience training, housebreaking, and socialization.
Dogs in our program will be trained and socialized so they are more adoptable, while the offenders learn a marketable skill in dog training. Bradley, Sparky, and Foxy Baby have all found forever homes thanks to the HEEL program!
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