Warsaw Man Sentenced In Cruelty To His Dog

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By TIFFANY SHAW, Times-Union Staff Writer-

A Warsaw man was sentenced to 14 days in prison and 300 hours of service at the animal shelter for cruelty to his dog.

David W. Burgess, 34, of 3062 Old Road 30W, was sentenced to 180 days in prison, with 166 days suspended to probation, for allegedly locking his dog in a pet carrier and leaving it in a rented storage shed. Burgess reportedly said he put the dog in the shed because he didn't have a place to keep the dog.

Burgess pleaded guilty Tuesday to the charge of cruelty to animals, a Class B misdemeanor.

He also was ordered to serve 300 hours of community service at the Kosciusko County Animal Shelter, where his 1-1/2-year-old German shepherd, Kane, is still recovering. Custody of Kane was given to the animal shelter by the court.

Burgess was ordered to pay a $100 fine and $125 in court costs, as well as the costs incurred by the shelter for caring for Kane.

The dog was found Saturday when a renter of a storage shed near Burgess' complained of an odor and movement in Burgess' shed.

Cpl. Steve Brown of the Warsaw Police Department found the dog locked in a pet carrier without food or water in the storage shed.

A veterinarian who examined Kane said he was dehydrated and emaciated but seemed in good health. The dog weighed only 49.1 pounds when Brown took him to the shelter.

A key-pad security system showed the last time anyone was in Burgess' shed was April 5.

Brown said he will be very selective in choosing a home to adopt Kane. He said Burgess told him Kane was being trained in tracking skills in hopes Kane would someday be used in a police K-9 unit.

Burgess also pleaded guilty to harboring a nonimmunized dog, a class C infraction, for not keeping current shots for Kane. He was sentenced to pay a $50 fine and $75 in court costs for the infraction. [[In-content Ad]]

A Warsaw man was sentenced to 14 days in prison and 300 hours of service at the animal shelter for cruelty to his dog.

David W. Burgess, 34, of 3062 Old Road 30W, was sentenced to 180 days in prison, with 166 days suspended to probation, for allegedly locking his dog in a pet carrier and leaving it in a rented storage shed. Burgess reportedly said he put the dog in the shed because he didn't have a place to keep the dog.

Burgess pleaded guilty Tuesday to the charge of cruelty to animals, a Class B misdemeanor.

He also was ordered to serve 300 hours of community service at the Kosciusko County Animal Shelter, where his 1-1/2-year-old German shepherd, Kane, is still recovering. Custody of Kane was given to the animal shelter by the court.

Burgess was ordered to pay a $100 fine and $125 in court costs, as well as the costs incurred by the shelter for caring for Kane.

The dog was found Saturday when a renter of a storage shed near Burgess' complained of an odor and movement in Burgess' shed.

Cpl. Steve Brown of the Warsaw Police Department found the dog locked in a pet carrier without food or water in the storage shed.

A veterinarian who examined Kane said he was dehydrated and emaciated but seemed in good health. The dog weighed only 49.1 pounds when Brown took him to the shelter.

A key-pad security system showed the last time anyone was in Burgess' shed was April 5.

Brown said he will be very selective in choosing a home to adopt Kane. He said Burgess told him Kane was being trained in tracking skills in hopes Kane would someday be used in a police K-9 unit.

Burgess also pleaded guilty to harboring a nonimmunized dog, a class C infraction, for not keeping current shots for Kane. He was sentenced to pay a $50 fine and $75 in court costs for the infraction. [[In-content Ad]]

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