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An Ogden, Utah family is devastated by a judge’s ruling that their neighbor, a man who confessed to shooting their dog with a BB gun repeatedly over the course of 9 months, ultimately costing the dog his eye and his spirit, will merely face community service for the torture of their dog.
Kim Tibbetts will not spend a day in jail, despite admitting to repeatedly shooting at a neighbor’s Belgian Malinois with a BB gun repeatedly over the course of nine months.
On Thanksgiving Day in 2017, dog owner Tanya Scott and her son Parris rushed their Belgian Malinois, Neiko to the vet after the dog was shot in the face by their neighbor and his BB gun. Neighbor Kim Tibbets admitted to police that he shot the dog because his neighbor didn’t stop him from barking.
During the investigation, Tibbets admitted to police that he had shot the dog on several occasions throughout the course of the year.
Neiko underwent surgery to remove his eye after being shot by Tibbetts on Thanksgiving.
Instead of jail time, Utah Second District Court Judge Hyde sentenced Tibbetts to 80 hours of community service to be served over the 24 months he will spend on probation after being convicted of two class A misdemeanor crimes of animal cruelty.
Although the Scott family didn’t want their neighbor to lose his job, they had hoped Tibbetts would be sentenced to 9-months worth of weekends in jail – the length of time the abuser spent torturing their dog with his BB gun.
“It just hurts to see him go through this and nothing be done about it,” Parris Scott said about his dog, who he called his best friend.
Sherry Anderson
says:Maybe Tibbetts will go after Judge Hyde next! This kind of behavior usually starts with animals and escalates. Community service my ass! If Hyde can’t dispense JUSTICE, he should be thrown off the bench!
Holly
says:As long as judges do not give a stiff sentence and reconize abuse is abuse, no matter the being. This will continue. To the judge, I hope , if you own a dog NO ONE DOES THIS TO YOURS!!!
Meghan
says:sounds like the judge needs to be recalled, or the animal cruelty laws need to be FELONIES – not misdemeanors