Governor signs bill increasing penalties for animal cruelty - East Idaho News
Idaho

Governor signs bill increasing penalties for animal cruelty

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BOISE — Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has signed a bill that would require a first-time perpetrator of animal cruelty with a previous conviction of bodily harm against a person to be charged with a felony.

The person who caused animal cruelty will also be required to undergo a psychological evaluation.

The Humane Society of the United States says a recent case involving Patches the Pony, a family pet who was subjected to violence and torture by an unknown perpetrator, was the catalyst for the passage of HB 524.

Patches was stabbed, dragged behind a vehicle for more than a mile, bludgeoned on his face by a blunted object and subjected to genital mutilation.

“It’s been proven that torturing an animal often leads to further crimes against humans, and now Idaho will have the tools to hold these criminals accountable for their actions,” said Lisa Kauffman, Idaho state director for The Humane Society of the United States.

Before the bill passed, Idaho law only required the third conviction of animal cruelty to be a felony.

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