CHARLESTON, S.C. — A South Carolina man who wrapped electrical tape around a dog’s muzzle has been sentenced to five years in jail.
William Leonard Dodson, 43, was given the five-year sentence on Friday, one day after he received a 15-year order on a federal gun charge, according to the Post and Courier. He will serve both sentences simultaneously.
“I’m not trying to be mean,” Circuit Judge Markley Dennis said, “but I wish I could give you more.”
The dog, named Caitlyn, was found in May 2015 after Dodson got frustrated by the dog’s barking and left her chained outside.
The tape was so tight that her tongue was caught between her teeth. The dog may have been left in that condition for up to 48 hours.
When doctors removed the tape, her muzzle swelled to about double its normal size.
Judge Dennis called the incident “hell on earth.”
Aldwin Roman, the Charleston Animal Society’s director of anti-cruelty and outreach said Caitlyn is “thriving.”
