Va. man gets 1 year for stabbing dog

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (AP) - A Chesapeake man has been sentenced to a year in jail for killing his pit bull with a sword.

Circuit Judge Bruce Kushner on Tuesday sentenced Robert Allen Young Jr. to five years in prison but suspended all but a year.

The 46-year-old Young pleaded guilty in September to one count of animal cruelty. He had nothing to say at his sentencing.

Neighbors reported seeing Young gesturing to the dog with the sword outside his home on Sept. 7. Police said Young went inside his home with the dog and returned several minutes later with its body.

Prosecutor Amy James said in court that Young claimed self defense. But she said evidence did not suggest the animal had turned on its owner.

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://www.pilotonline.com