Man Found Guilty Of Cruelty In Dog's Kicking Death

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A Nashville man has been found guilty of kicking a dog to death.

A jury found Chad Crawford guilty of aggravated animal cruelty for the kicking death of Gizmo, a 2-pound Yorkshire Terrier.

Crawford denied his involvement, stating that a car struck the dog.

The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum sentence of 11 months and 29 days.

Another man accused of holding the dog as if punting a football will be tried later.

"This is the largest weight off of my shoulders," Gizmo's owner Jelani Lewis said after the verdict was read.

Lewis said his biggest fear was that no one would be prosecuted in the case.

"My greatest fear was that he would just walk," Lewis said.

He said he couldn't understand why someone would commit this type of crime, plead not guilty and deny their involvement.

Lewis and another owner Jessica McKenzie also sued the defendants.

Assistant District Attorney General Roger Moore said he was satisfied that Crawford was found guilty.

The jury was deadlocked on a more serious felony charge.

Crawford's sentencing is scheduled for next month.

Although Crawford faced a misdemeanor, if the same crime happened now it would be a felony because the law was changed since Gizmo's death.