[News] Kansas Lawmakers Review Animal Abuse Law
 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Almost 10 years after a Yorkshire terrier was beaten, suffocated and set on fire, Kansas still remains one of nine states without a felony animal abuse law, KMBC's Lara Moritz reported.

In May 1997, four Kansas City, Kan., men videotaped the torture and killing of the dog named Scruffy.

"You're about to witness a murder," one man says on the tape.

"I can still see that dog. I still have nightmares about that night," said Lee Brand, of Power for Paws.

Moritz reported that Scruffy's death launched a nine-year battle in the Kansas Legislature to make animal abuse a felony offense.

"I admit I've done something senseless. I regret what I've done and I'm deeply sorry," Lance Arsenault said in a 1997 interview.

Moritz said that because Arsenault, Marcus Rodriguez, Jose Guiterrez and Richard Golubski killed Scruffy in Kansas, they spent little or no time in jail. In Kansas, a person can do anything to an animal and not be charged with a felony.

The only reason Arsenault and Rodriguez spent anytime in jail is that the prosecutor got them on an arson charge because the Yorkie was set on fire.

"There's no felony provision in Kansas. I assumed like many other people do that because Missouri and a majority of other states have such a provision that we did, too," Brand said.

Brand is the founder of the group Power for Paws and has launched a petition, a Web site and an all-out campaign to get the word out and the Legislature in on passing a felony law.

"The first time that a person commits certain crimes against animals, it will automatically be considered a felony level offense charge," Brand said.

Brand, who has has counseled inmates for years, said that violent criminals often start out abusing animals.

"I can tell you stories, horrendous stories especially with sex offenders and the things they have done to animals. There's a very clear link and that's why we need a felony provision," Brand said.

Last year, there was chilling testimony about Dennis Rader, known as the BTK serial killer, who first got a thrill out of strangling animals and then moved on to killing humans.

Kansas legislators will look at three different proposed bills. Senate Bill No. 402 would allow people a second chance after a first offense.

"To say that a person would be allowed to barbecue two different dogs, two different occasions and not have the penalty, I don't consider that an acceptable option for a bill," Brand said.

Senate Bill No. 135, better known as "Scruffy's Law," would make abusing an animal a felony offense, but allow a judge to decide whether the defendant should go to jail.

Senate Bill No. 408, the newest bill, would make incarceration mandatory.

Since 1997, various bills have gone nowhere in the Legislature, Moritz reported. Brand hopes this time a bill will live and animals like as Scruffy won't have died in vain.

"We can't take back those years. We can't change that. All we can do now is thank the legislators for finally addressing this issue and hope that one of these bills will be passed during this legislative session.

The four men in the Scruffy case are off probation. Rodriguez and Arsenault spent less than three years in jail.

Moritz reported that "Scruffy's Law" was the topic of debate in Topeka Thursday morning. Kansas legislators listened to testimony from people for and against a felony animal abuse provision.

While many want to see a felony law in place, others expressed concern that prisons were overcrowded already and that jail space should be reserved for people committing crimes against people -- not animals. Legislators will discuss the bills again on Monday.

More Information

If you want to contact Kansas legislators about changing animal abuse laws, visit www.powerforpaws.com or e-mail Lee Brand at Paws4brand@yahoo.com.

Kansas Senate Bill No. 402
Kansas Senate Bill No. 135
Kansas Senate Bill No. 408

http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/...87/detail.html

The story of Scruffy is heartbreaking. Thanks for posting this important story.

WOW- that fact that you can do something that horrendous to an animal,and there is NO punishment.. blows my mind.. Unreal, I hope they change it, I just can't understand how, this day and age, Any state would not have some kind of animal abuse law, it's crazy. :mad:

thanks for the post.

As sad as it is to read about what happened to this poor dog I see a glimmer of hope for future animals as more states and the government start to tackle some of these issues. We all have to continue raising our voices for the animals.

Thank you for posting.

It almost makes me wanna move :mad:

no need to move. ;) fight for what you believe in and try to make a difference.

That i stomach aching these "animals" are our children but yet they can be abused with out repremand if someone was to do that to a human child its done no questions asked. I guess its hard for me to see pets as pets and not our extended children!

I agree! Any form of animal abuse should be a felony charge. Wasn't it here last year that someone had posted about a weimeraner that had been raped and later died from those injuries? All people that maim, abuse, kill animals should be punished. There should be NO exceptions to this! :mad:

That reminds me a the story a few years ago close by me in Nashville. A Yorkie was kicked like a football across a parking lot by two guys using the dog as a football and died instantly.......and the two guys barely got anything. :( Poor Scruffy

I use to work with a guy that knew one of the guys involved with the Scruffy killing. He told me the family is nothing but trouble and the brother is in prison for killing someone. Of course the one involved in killing Scruffy was in trouble before.

OMG that breaks my heart
i can't believe that there is no punishment for such an act, what is this world coming to????

are you serious!!?!?!??! why in the world would someone do something like that.....i would understand if "that thing" has done the same to you and you would want revenge..but these little animals did NOTHING to deserve that!!! urgh im sorry to say this but those ppl deserve to EXPERIECE THE SAME THING!!!

Aaaargh!
 

Oh this just eats me up!!! Some people are stuck in the stone age where apparantly it is acceptable to abuse animals. I personally think that people should have to experience first hand what they dish out. They should be forced to experience the horror of being helpless and tortured. It is so true that animal abuse is linked to other crimes on humans! I worked as a dispatcher for the Animal Cruelty Investigation Unit here in Columbus, Ohio. People who can do things of this nature have no empathy. Frankly, I wish that Ohio would straighten up their act and strengthen their laws as well. We are far too lenient on animal abuse. Also, I really like what the SPCA has done. Their department has full blown officers with police rights. They can carry a gun and arrest people on the spot. They can also sieze animals much faster. We don't have that here. In fact, most of the investigators here used to be police officers, but they have no authority as such. I just had a thought... isn't it true that if you intentionally hurt a police dog, you are sentenced as if you hurt an officer? I think that is the case. So why isn't every animal treated this way? I really hope things get better.