Miramar man sentenced for killing puppy

[Rottweilerlvr]

A judge sentenced a Miramar man to three years in prison Wednesday for hurling his son's 8-week-old black Labrador puppy off a fifth-story balcony to its death.

In hopes that Josper Sanon will gain some perspective on "how helpless these little animals are," Broward Circuit Judge Stanton Kaplan also ordered that upon release from prison, Sanon perform community service at the Broward Humane Society, 15 hours a week for a year.

Last month, it took a jury only 55 minutes to convict Sanon, 50, of felony animal cruelty. The maximum penalty could have been five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

"In this country we generally hold our domestic animals in high regard," Kaplan said at Wednesday's sentencing. "Some of them become our best and most loyal friends, and that's why we have laws like this to protect these helpless animals."

Sanon was angry at his 16-year-old son because he would not clean up after the puppy messed in his condominium, said prosecutor Greg Lauer. In retribution, Sanon hurled Nikita over the balcony, Lauer said.

Defense attorney Tom O'Connell said the pup slipped over the balcony as father and son tussled over it. For the animal to land 25 feet from the building, it had to have been thrown with force, Lauer countered.

"I'm no criminal...This is stupid," Sanon said in a pre-sentencing report filed with the court.

Lauer urged the judge to impose a prison sentence. He said he was most bothered by the father's actions to punish his son by killing his dog. "He killed something that obviously his son cared about," Lauer said. "It's a really sick and sadistic form of punishment."

Kaplan also ordered that Sanon's prison sentence be followed by one year of probation and that he attend anger-management classes.

O'Connell immediately filed a notice of appeal. Kaplan will hold a hearing next week to determine whether Sanon, a French citizen who was born and raised in Haiti, is eligible for bail pending an appeal.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/sfl-cpuppy23nov23,0,4537156.story?coll=orl-home-headlines

[reeskujo]

That'a a judge I can say I really like and have respect for.I hope the people in jail find out why he's there and beat the hell out of him.What a rotten,evil,SOB...Ree

[BelovedJuggernaut]

Such a sad story!

I think 3 years is a little lengthy, sounds like this man needs serious rehabilitation. Im not sure jail time for 3 years is the best, but hopefully some good comes out of this.

[Rottweilerlvr]

I think 3 years is a little lengthy, sounds like this man needs serious rehabilitation. Im not sure jail time for 3 years is the best, but hopefully some good comes out of this.

I think it should have been longer-- he will learn from his lesson as well as others who see this. I also liked that he has to volunteer at a shelter for a year, if I remember correctly.

[BelovedJuggernaut]

I think it should have been longer-- he will learn from his lesson as well as others who see this. I also liked that he has to volunteer at a shelter for a year, if I remember correctly.


If that is the way the world worked, prisons wouldn't be needed! I wish!

I think that he should have been subjected to a year in prison, two years in a state hospital, probation and anger management classes. I jsut don't believe prison rehabilitates anyone.

I think prison time followed by shelter time will just further his resentment towards animals. Hopefully it does some good.

[reeskujo]

If you can do that to an innocent little puppy because your mad at his son what is that teaching his son about treatment of animals?Talk about teaching your child morals,and how many killers start off killing animals?3 years is to much?I think not!!!!!Not to mention if he can do that to a little puppy you can only imagine what he does to his son when he's mad at him!!!!

[Rottweilerlvr]

I think that he should have been subjected to a year in prison, two years in a state hospital, probation and anger management classes. I jsut don't believe prison rehabilitates anyone.

Personally, I don't think prisons should be used as rehabilitation, but as a punishment. I'm sure most convicts will think and consider it a punishment, however long or short the term is. Animal cruelty, animal abuse, and animal neglect is a crime and as such, should be punished for it.

[reeskujo]

Rott,I couldn't agree more!!!!

[BelovedJuggernaut]

Personally, I don't think prisons should be used as rehabilitation, but as a punishment. I'm sure most convicts will think and consider it a punishment, however long or short the term is. Animal cruelty, animal abuse, and animal neglect is a crime and as such, should be punished for it.

I agree, prison is punishment. This man should be punished without a doubt, but I think that in order to fix the problem... rehabilitation is needed. That is why I said 1 year prison, 2 years in a state hospital for rehabilitation, probation & community service would be ideal.

I think harsher punishment goes along with your track record, who knows what this guy had on his. Lets just hope his son is doing well through all of this, and hope this guy really does learn something.

I just wish the system was better equiped for this sort of thing - my only set back with law thus far. *sigh* I guess everything can't be perfect huh?

[Rottweilerlvr]

Hopefully he can be "rehabillated", some don't and revert back to their old ways.

[BelovedJuggernaut]

Hopefully he can be "rehabillated", some don't and revert back to their old ways.


I know, that is the truly sad part. people get punished, come back, and haven't learned a thing. :(

Another thing that pisses me off about our prisons, especially our minimum security, is how they cater to the prisoners. Cable TV, 3 hearty meals a day, etc...

Like i said, my setback for law!

[reeskujo]

I know, that is the truly sad part. people get punished, come back, and haven't learned a thing. :(

Another thing that pisses me off about our prisons, especially our minimum security, is how they cater to the prisoners. Cable TV, 3 hearty meals a day, etc...

Like i said, my setback for law!

I totaly agree.If you ask me our whole legal system needs an overhaul.I also hope that guy looses custody of his son because if he did it in front of him that's mental and emotional abuse IMO!

[Stark]

Prison time is not the answer for anything, it solves nothing. Constantly placing individuals in prison and creating new laws does nothing but take away our rights. There is no rehabilitation in prison. Prisons are not set up to be rehab but institutions to remove individuals from society and to protect the public. It does allow for those in prison to further educate themselves in their skills, to become better criminals. I do find it ridiculous to spend $60-90 grand to house this freak for three years and the additional cost for his court time and appeals etc. Thirty days in jail, a fine and public service would have been plenty. No, now we'll have to support this freak for the next 3-3 1/2 years. For those who would be changed, their first full day in jail is enough. I had the same opinions until I worked as a correctional officer for 8 years in maximum security. Prison is a joke to the seasoned criminal and soon becomes one to the new.

[DiggityDogs]

Prison time is not the answer for anything, it solves nothing. Constantly placing individuals in prison and creating new laws does nothing but take away our rights. There is no rehabilitation in prison. Prisons are not set up to be rehab but institutions to remove individuals from society and to protect the public. It does allow for those in prison to further educate themselves in their skills, to become better criminals. I do find it ridiculous to spend $60-90 grand to house this freak for three years and the additional cost for his court time and appeals etc. Thirty days in jail, a fine and public service would have been plenty. No, now we'll have to support this freak for the next 3-3 1/2 years. For those who would be changed, their first full day in jail is enough. I had the same opinions until I worked as a correctional officer for 8 years in maximum security. Prison is a joke to the seasoned criminal and soon becomes one to the new.

I agree with some of this, however I DON'T agree with giving this guy 30 days- why? He'd never make it to prison, he'd sit 30 days out in county lockup, which is an even bigger joke. One day in county doesn't open someone's eyes the way one day in prison does, and most convicts will sit and wait for transport to the pen for up to a year or two. I was a CO in Kaufman county for about a year, and county jail is a cakewalk compared to prison time. We were right down the street from a federal prison and held a lot of their incoming inmates. You can definitely tell the difference between someone who's done hard time and someone who has been in and out of county. Big difference. I do agree that there is no rehab, and that the only thing prison is good for is protecting the public from all of the murderers and rapists. A guy like that obviously has problems- someone who doesn't think twice about killing a puppy (and doesn't feel like he did anything wrong by doing so) would have no problem hurting a person. And at some point he probably will, but I'm glad they at least made an example of him. I'm tired of seeing people torturing and killing animals and getting off with community service. Personally I think we'd have a lot more free money to deal with those kinds of *******s if we utilized the death penalty more often, and also if we provided better public defenders. Most of the public defenders I've seen are walking pieces of crap that think their client is guilty the minute they meet them, and I'm positive there are a lot of innocent people that we're paying to house.

Oh, and I wanted to mention, about the care of inmates- they don't exactly get 3 ''hearty'' meals a day- they only guys that eat 'heartily' are those that steal trays from others or those that work. The rest get a tray that looks like it would feed a 5th grader. In the pen if they really screw up, they get to eat the 'food loaf'. Leftovers blended together and baked into a loaf. Yum Yum. TV is crucial for jail life, too, because it keeps them from destroying everything in their cells from boredom, which would cost more than having a TV in every tank. They set fires, start fights, flood the toilets, make weapons, and spend 24 hours a day trying to come up with ways to pull one over on the officers. It can get dangerous without TVs. It sounds stupid, but it works.

[reeskujo]

I don't know the first thing really about prison life or life in the county jail other then what I've heard since I've never been there.All I can say is I'm sure this moron has the potential to hurt people as well and I'm sure everyone including the animals are safer with him off the street.

[Rottweilerlvr]

I'm just glad he was punished, but I will be keeping a eye on this story since he is going to fight jail time...

[myminpins]

Good!!! Putting him in prison is a good deterrant to others. After all, people don't care about paying fines but maybe they'll think twice if they may go to jail for something like this. Then having him work at the humane society is great. Good job, judge!! :)