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Sugar Cookie

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Not sure if this has been posted

The man charged with killing and torturing Sterling the dog in Utica earlier this year has pleaded no contest to the charges.

Alexander Gerth was charged with killing and torturing an animal in the stabbing death of his 2-year-old pit bull mix, Sterling.

Sterling was found underneath a picnic table on Jan. 24, 2019, in Grant Park in below-freezing temperatures. There was a trail of blood from a nearby trash can to the location where Sterling died.

“Sterling was maliciously tortured and left to die in the elements,” Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said in a release. “My office is fully committed to prosecuting every animal abuse case to the fullest extent under the law.”

Gerth will be sentenced on April 23
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Officials say the dog was adopted and returned twice through the Michigan Humane Society before being adopted a third time in December. The Humane Society in Westland says Gerth, 22, tried to adopt the three-year-old dog in December, but his application was denied.

A few days later, another person went to the same shelter and had an interest in Sterling. That person was approved to adopt the dog.
WXYZ in Detroit reports that the Humane Society says an investigation revealed that Sterling was adopted under false pretenses, as Gerth convinced a friend to adopt the dog for him.

Gerth's roommate tells WXYZ that he soon realized the dog was in danger. He reports seeing Gerth hit, grab and drag the dog.
He was reportedly afraid to say anything because he didn't want to be kicked out of the apartment. The roommate's girlfriend tried alerting Macomb County Animal Control, but says they needed proof in order to look into it.

She reportedly took pictures of what appeared to be cigarette burns on the dogs face, but did not turn them in before it was too late.

The roommate reports that upon returning home one night last week, Sterling was missing, his dog bowls and his chew toys were in the trash.

Sterling was found in the park that day.
 
I think I would've rather had to move to a homeless shelter than to let this happen to that poor dog. Of course, when his gf tried to do it for him authorities couldn't act without evidence. Bit of a catch-22 situation.
 
@Satanica @Fives My Charm @BuffettGirl
"In my almost 17 years on the bench your case is by far the worst, most deplorable example of animal cruelty I've ever seen," Caretti told Gerth. "Words are inadequate to express the depth and breadth of your cruelty."

A Michigan man was sentenced to triple the amount of recommended prison time on Tuesday for brutally stabbing a dog he adopted from a shelter.

Alexander Gerth, 23, was hit with three to six years in prison for killing Sterling, a 2-year-old pit bull mix from the Michigan Humane Society who was found dead in a park in Utica in January after he was stabbed and left to die.

The sentencing guidelines for Gerth, on the charge of killing and torturing an animal, were two to 21 months. But Macomb County Judge Richard Caretti said he could not "in good conscience" abide by that agreement, and subsequently handed Gerth the tougher sentence.

The 23-year-old told the judge that "looking back I realize there were better ways of handling this situation."

"Respectfully, I want people to know and understand that I did not do this with some kind of sick, twisted, premeditated motive, as which was said before," he continued. "If I could go back and do this differently I would."
 
*** this is actually a dupe believe it or not***

The judge continued, "Statistics show [famous] killers ... started down their path to infamy by abusing and killing animals. Let's hope my sentence discourages you from such behavior. ... But in your case [with the old animal cruelty sentencing legislation] - it may not be enough."
 
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