KRISHA WILLIAMS TURBEVILLE
RESCUE IN THE ROCK

A Hasty man was sentenced Monday to 20 years after being convicted of breaking into a home and shocking the dogs inside with a cattle prod and then stomping on them.

Larry Cummings, 41, pleaded guilty to burglarizing the home of Gladys Morse on Nov. 7 and encouraging a 15-year-old with him to kick and stomp Morse’s dogs.

He received 20 years in the felony burglary and one year on the misdemeanor cruelty charge, which was the maximum allowed, and was fined $1,000, said Newton County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Wes Bradford.

Cummings is to have no contact with Morse, and he will be required to complete anger management and counseling if so ordered by the prison system or parole board, Bradford said.

When he is eligible for parole, he is to have no contact with animals unless his parole officer approves it.

“I felt like it was a good outcome for the case,” Bradford said. “I spoke to Miss Morse about the plea agreement and got her blessing.”

“The fact is folks who feel strongly about these cases (of animal cruelty) wouldn’t be selected for a jury,” Bradford said, noting jurors must be impartial.

The charges came after Newton County District Judge Tommy Martin discovered that a videotape presented to his court on another matter contained footage of the animal attack.

No bond has been set, and Cummings remains incarcerated, Bradford said.

The juvenile also was charged with felony burglary and two counts of animal cruelty. That case is pending, Bradford said.

Animal cruelty in Arkansas is a misdemeanor and legislative attempts to make the offense a felony have failed in recent sessions.

Information for this article was contributed by The Associated Press.