Animal Abuse: Dog severely beaten, teeth filed down to gumline - Mcminniville, TN

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Case Snapshot

Case ID: 13218

Classification: Beating, Mutilation/Torture

Animal: dog (non pit-bull)

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Abuse was retaliation against animal's bad behavior

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Attorneys/Judges

Judge(s):

Larry Ross

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CONVICTED: Was justice served?

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Case #13218 Rating: 2.4 out of 5

Dog severely beaten, teeth filed down to gumline
Mcminniville, TN (US)

Incident Date: Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008
County: Warren

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Convicted
Case Images: 1 files available

Defendant/Suspect: Christopher Barnett

Case Updates: 4 update(s) available

McMinnville police said they are looking for a man who beat his pet dog almost unconscious, but it's what the animal had to endure that shocked and sickened animal activists who have seen it all.

Lucas is only a year and a half, and he's and loving and sweet puppy, but he's experienced more pain than many will in a lifetime.

His teeth have been filed down to his gum line, officials said.

"He had 16 uppers and 14 lowers that have been ground all the way down. The root and nerve are exposed and bleeding," Warren County Humane Society President Andy Anderson said.

Last week, Anderson said she received a call from a man who said he saw Lucas' owner, Chris Barnett, beating the dog.

Police said a warrant was issued for Barnett's arrest.

"He didn't ask for a beating. He is a calm, sweet dog," Anderson said.

Anderson said Lucas' eyes were blood shot, and x-rays showed that he suffered a fracture to his face.

"This bone that goes around his eye is fractured," Anderson said.

The damage to Lucas' teeth was so extensive that it will take multiple surgeries, costing thousands of dollars, Anderson said.

"We will extract the teeth we can't save and fill what we can to make it where the dog can eat, but he will never be normal for the rest of his life," Anderson said.

Anderson said she makes Lucas special meals that he can easily swallow, but she said he will always need special attention.

"It breaks my heart. It makes you wonder what's wrong with mankind that they can do this -- that people can do this," Anderson said.

In the meantime, Anderson said she will care for Lucas. It will ultimately be up to a judge to decide who gets permanent custody of Lucas.

Viewers flooded the Channel Four's phone lines after watching Lucas' story to help with his medical expenses.

Anyone who would like to help can send donations to:
Sparta Road Veterinary Clinic
4021 Sparta Hwy.
McMinnville, TN 37110

Donators are asked to specify that they want their donations to be used for Lucas' medical expenses.

Case Updates

A midstate man was sentenced to misdemeanor charges after he filed down his dog's teeth as a form of punishment.

Christopher Barnett was sentenced for charges of animal cruelty, and he will spend 75 days in jail. Barnett also cannot own a domesticated animal for one year.

In February 2008, investigators said Barnett beat Lucas, his 2-year-old Alaskan Husky, after the dog chewed on wiring inside his home and then used a metal file to grind down the dog's teeth.

In addition to the jail time, Barnett must pay nearly $6,000 in restitution for the dog's care, including numerous surgeries.

Judge Stanley imposed:

*75 days jail time
*100 hours of public (community) service;
*Attendance at an Anger Management Class;
*Restitution of $5,071.50 in costs for the care of Lucas to the Humane society of Warren County;
*Restriction of no future ownership of domestic animals, with the exception of horses, as Mr. Barnett is a farrier by training and occupation; and
*Surrender of Mr. Barnett's Boxer to the Humane Society

Source: News Channel 5 - Feb 13, 2009
Update posted on Feb 16, 2009 - 6:08PM

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A man in McMinnville is looking at jail time for abusing his Alaskan husky, Lucas. A McMinnville jury found Chris Barnett guilty of animal cruelty for filing down the dog's teeth last year.

Barnett, who has worked in a veterinarian's office in the past, said he was trying to keep Lucas from chewing up wiring at his home.

Barnett faces up to a year in jail when he's sentenced.

Source: NBC 4 - Jan 16, 2009
Update posted on Jan 16, 2009 - 6:29PM

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A man accused of filing a dog's teeth almost to its gums appeared in court on Tuesday. The explanation of the allegations came during dramatic testimony at a hearing in McMinnville.

The allegations of abuse of Lucas the dog garnered worldwide attention.

Lucas' owner, Chris Barnett, faces felony charges of aggravated animal cruelty. Joy Percell, who testified at the preliminary hearing, said she witnessed the filing on Feb. 16.

She said she was working on a dairy farm where Barnett was renting a home. She said what she was sickening.

"I saw him strike the dog several times in a row and then whatever this thing was he had in his hand, he put in the dog's mouth and then he began to run it back-and-forth through the dog's mouth. � Its head was jerking back and forth," she said.

During testimony, some Warren County Humane Association representatives wept.

Maxwell Vincent, who rented the dairy farm, testified to what happened after the beating.

"He picked the dog up about chest high and said, 'See, it's alive.' When he picked it up, a lot of blood came out of its mouth. And then he picked it up about chest high and then he tossed it back down on the ground," he said.

Vincent said that Barnett told him that he filed the dog's teeth because he was chewing on some wire fencing around the home.

While the defense tried to explain Barnett's behavior, the judge was not sympathetic.

"It was just a sadistic beating," said General Sessions Court Judge Larry Ross. "You don't teach a dog to not chew by beating him and then filing his teeth off."

The case was bound over to a grand jury.

Aggravated animal abuse charges could mean a $3,000 fine and two years in prison if a conviction is reached.

The Warren County district attorney said the office has received hundreds of phone calls from around the country in support of Lucas. A Web site has also been set up.

Source: WSMV - April 2, 2008
Update posted on Apr 2, 2008 - 12:52PM

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A dog's owner is accused of filing its teeth down to the roots and giving him a beating that left him with a fractured facial bone, and prosecutors want his owner to pay.

Lucas is a little more than a year old and now has a mouth full of fillings, but he's not in pain anymore thanks to a vet in McMinnville who pulled seven of the dog's teeth and performed root canals on 16 others.

"After about two weeks, he is going to be able to eat solid food just like any other dog," said Warren County Humane Society representative Andy Anderson.

The dog's owner, Christopher Barnett, was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty after filing most of Lucas's teeth down to the root.

"It just made me feel sick that a human could do that to another animal," said Clay Lerch.

Lerch and his wife, Tammy, heard Lucas's story. So they helped start an online petition asking the district attorney to file felony charges. So far, more than 1,700 people have signed the petition, and the support stretches beyond Tennessee and the U.S.

"We heard they were just filing misdemeanor charges, and we felt this crime deserves more punishment than that would get him," Lerch said. "We got some from Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, Greece," Lerch said.

The district attorney's office reviewed the case and issued a felony arrest warrant for Barnett's arrest on Thursday.

"With a felony to make sure sometime, someone thinks about abusing an animal that they could eventually face jail time," Lerch said.

Barnett could face up to two years in prison if convicted. He was also charged in 2004 with intentionally killing an animal in Giles County, but he was never convicted of the crime.

The Humane Society received more than $5,000 in donations, of which most will be used to cover Lucas's medical expenses. The rest will be put in a fund to treat abused animals.

Source: WSMV - March 13, 2008
Update posted on Mar 14, 2008 - 3:46PM

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References

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Dog severely beaten, teeth filed down to gumlineMcminniville, TN (US)

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Dog severely beaten, teeth filed down to gumline
Mcminniville, TN (US)