UPDATE - Windsor Man Sentenced to 90 Days For Violent Animal Cruelty

​windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-man-sentenced-to-90-days-in-jail-for-animal-abuse-1.6060078

UPDATE - Windsor man, Tyler Vassell, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for a violent case of animal cruelty that saw him repeatedly strike his innocent dog. The violent crime was caught on an apartment building's security camera with Vassell striking his dog several times, and at one point, slamming the dog against the elevator doors. Despite a push for 9 - 12 months in prison, the court decided on a 90 day sentence to be served on weekends, allowing Vassell to continue to provide for his family.

​His lawyer, Frank Miller, stated that Vassell was remorseful for his actions and that, "As a result of this incident, he has decided to become completely abstinent from the consumption of alcohol,”

How do I feel about his sentence? I'm not entirely sure. While I applaud a sentence that actually delivers jail time, I feel as though it's a touch too light and frankly, accommodating given the nature of the violence involved. Look, his family relies on him to provide for them and I understand that but it's almost like saying that we recognize that you committed this heinous crime, but we'll work with you. It minimizes the severity of the crime in my opinion and suggests that while violent and aggressive, it's not a big enough deal to hand out a consecutive sentence. I don't know, I'm conflicted about how accommodating everything seems.

Does 90 days of weekend sentencing really seem fitting given the severity of the crime? When you look at the video and see his poor dog returning to his side after every slug or kick, it's heart breaking. It's such a blatant disregard for his responsibility to care for his dog and that level of violence, fueled by alcohol or not, is alarming. Is accommodating someone who we've collectively agreed committed a crime of violence sending out the right message? Also, when the maximum sentence was between 9 - 12 months, 90 days of weekends seems a bit light to me.

His dog Kojakt, now named Boop after rehabilitation, will suffer life-long pain & mobility issues as a result of the beating he endured. This sort of a beating inflicted life-long perils on an innocent animal who endured an extremely long and grueling road to recovery. I don't know.

In addition to the sentence, Vassell was ordered to pay $1, 800 in restitutions and was given a 10-year ban on owning firearms and will be on probation for 18 months. 

Learn more by visiting my original post about the story below.

​www.thehappyveg.ca/animal-news/windsor-ontario-does-violent-animal-abuse-warrant-jail-time

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