Man Gets 3-Year Jail Sentence For Torturing Puppy In Front Of Daughter

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) - A Northern California man convicted of torturing and killing a puppy in front of his 4-year-old daughter has been sentenced to three years in jail.

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said Friday that 32-year-old Alan Benjamin Velete will spend two years in county jail and an additional year in a psychiatric residential treatment facility. Velete pleaded no contest to felony animal cruelty and misdemeanor child endangerment charges as part of a plea deal in July.

Prosecutors say a 4-month-old terrier puppy named Lucky became the object of Velete's rage when it defecated on the floor.

Prosecutors claim Velete punched and kicked the dog, sprayed household cleaner in its eyes, taped its mouth shut and fed it his psychiatric drugs. He eventually suffocated the animal.

Much of Velete's abuse was done right in front of his daughter and girlfriend.