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PRESS RELEASE
RELEASE DATE: Immediately (September 5, 2006)
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Gene Baierschmidt
(801) 261-2919 - phone

PRE-TRIAL HEARING SET FOR MAN WHO PUT DOG IN OVEN - 1:30 PM TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH

HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt says, "This is an obvious instance of deliberate torture of an animal, and it illustrates why Utah needs to get a bill passed making this kind of mindless, vicious cruelty a third-degree felony. Right now, the toughest penalty that can be imposed on Marc Vincent is that of a Class A misdemeanor. We believe that felony-level status for egregious acts of cruelty to animals - which certainly describes what was done to Henry - would elevate the seriousness of the crime and give law enforcers greater incentive to prosecute these acts more aggressively."

Forty-one other states already have felony provisions in their animal-cruelty statutes. For the past two years Rep. Scott Wyatt (R-Logan) has introduced legislation that would bring Utah’s laws up to those standards, but, in spite of overwhelming public support, his bills have been put aside by a few individual lawmakers who personally oppose the idea of tougher animal cruelty laws. The Humane Society deplores the short-sightedness of these attitudes. "Those people may shrug their shoulders and say, ‘It’s only a dog,’ but in a few years the victim could be a child, woman, or elderly person," says Mr. Baierschmidt. "There is an enormous body of scientific evidence that shows a strong link between cruelty to animals and violent aggression against other human beings. Serial killers like Ted Bundy, the Boston Strangler, and Jeffrey Dahmer all tortured animals before they brutally murdered their human victims."

Representatives of the Humane Society will be present at Vincent’s hearing this afternoon.

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