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Man Faces 5 Years for Beating Wife's Cat

Posted on: Wednesday, 5 March 2003, 06:00 CST

Man Faces 5 Years for Beating Wife's Cat

source: Associated Press Strange News

A man who repeatedly threw his wife's cat against a wall was convicted of animal cruelty under a new state law that treats the crime as a felony.

Jason T. Portock, 32, of Virginia Beach pleaded guilty Tuesday and faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced April 28.

Portock told police that he became aggravated by the cat while his wife was away on Nov. 17. He said he threw the cat against a wall four times and kicked it against a door.

When his wife returned several hours later, the couple took the cat to a veterinarian's office. Prosecutors said Portock became angry when the staff refused to euthanize the cat and told them that if they did not do it, he would take the cat to the parking lot and do it himself.

The veterinarian told police that the cat had five broken ribs, a swollen eye and broken teeth, broken claws and a broken leg. The cat died the next day.

The felony animal cruelty statute took effect in July.

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