WASHINGTON – A 13-year-old Loudoun County boy will serve a year on supervised probation for an animal cruelty conviction.
The boy was charged with the crime for kicking his family’s pet dog to death. He was sentenced Wednesday.
Loudoun County Animal Services says the boy and his younger brother kicked the 8-pound toy breed dog repeatedly causing fatal, internal injuries.
As part of his sentence, the boy is prohibited from living with any pets and must not interact with children his age or younger during his probation.
The boy’s younger brother was assigned to counseling and was not prosecuted, according to the Animal Services Department.
“Loudoun County Animal Services works closely with Child Protective Services and the juvenile justice system to ensure that children involved in cases of animal cruelty receive the proper care, mental health counseling and guidance they need,” said Tom Koenig, Animal Services director, in a written statement. “We believe that with treatment or intervention, child offenders will be less likely to commit such crimes in the future.”
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