INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A northeastern Iowa man has been sentenced to 30 days in jail — all but seven days of it suspended — for torturing the family dog and making his children watch a video of the torture.
The Buchanan County prosecutor’s office says in a news release that 42-year-old Jason O’Neil Johnson, of Independence, was sentenced Tuesday. He was found guilty by a jury in August of animal torture.
Johnson will spend only seven days in jail if he successfully completes a year of probation, psychological evaluation and treatment and 16 hours of community service.
Prosecutors say Johnson held down the dog, named Daisy, in May and repeatedly beat her with a belt and closed fists for chewing on a pair of sunglasses he had left out. Johnson made his son record the beating to send to his other children, whom he blamed for failing to securely kennel the dog.
