A Utah man has been sentenced to prison for stealing a dog and lighting it on fire, killing the animal. Police say the man wanted to intimidate his ex-girlfriend and her family.
A Utah man will go to prison for stealing a dog and lighting it on fire, killing the animal. Police say the man wanted to intimidate his ex-girlfriend and her family.
SALT LAKE CITY Animal welfare advocates with Salt Lake County Animal Services are calling for harsher criminal penalties for those who intentionally injure animals after a dog was kidnapped last month and lit on fire. Dixie s Law, named for a 4-year-old red heeler that died days after getting taken by a family member s ex-boyfriend, would allow for enhanced penalties for premeditated animal abuse cases, said Salt Lake County Animal Services Director Talia Butler. And ideally, where there is time served by that person for the crime they committed, she said.
It would also allow animal services to remove all animals from a home when an owner is found to have abused one animal, she said. Utah law now only allows the abused animal to be taken from the home.
Owners of dog that was stolen and set on fire calling for harsher animal cruelty laws
Owners of dog that was stolen and set on fire calling for harsher animal cruelty laws
and last updated 2021-03-11 23:21:19-05
SALT LAKE CITY â The owners of a dog that was intentionally set on fire and left near a Utah highway are asking for changes to be made to animal cruelty laws in Utah.
Dixie, a red heeler, was found March 1 after being abandoned along North Frontage Road near Interstate 80.
The dog was allegedly taken by Michael Paul Busico, 40. Busico has known the dogâs owner, Trista Heywood, for more than a decade as he is her motherâs ex-boyfriend.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) A man accused of intentionally setting a dog on fire west of Salt Lake City last week is now charged with multiple felonies. Prosecutors are asking that Michael Paul Busico, 40, be held without bail. Dixie, a red heeler, sustained second- and third-degree burns to approximately 30% of her body, according to court documents. She was euthanized on Monday. Dixie's owner Trista Heywood reported Monday that her dog would be.