‘Systematic abuse’ unlikely to lead to prison time for two convicted of beating, starving dogs

Two men have been convicted of felony animal abuse in the mistreatment of dogs that they kept as pets.

The two cases were prosecuted by the relatively new Animal Cruelty Unit of the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.

In the first, George Rodriguez, 43, was found guilty of felony malicious and intentional animal cruelty for engaging in “systematic abuse” of his pit bull terrier and German shepherd puppy in south Sacramento. Witnesses described Rodriguez “beating, whipping, punching and kicking” the dogs, the DA’s office said Thursday.

“The animals routinely were tied to a tree during the abuse and had no means to escape Rodriguez’s extreme punishments,” the office said in a news release.

In the second case, Damion Boatman II was convicted of felony animal neglect and cruelty at his home in Oak Park. According to witnesses, Boatman starved his dog, a pit bull, nearly to death. The dog also suffered untreated medical problems including “an extreme skin infection,” according to the DA.

In both cases, the abused animals were rescued and eventually adopted.

Both men are scheduled to be sentenced next month. They will be barred from “possessing, owning, residing with, maintaining or caring for any animal” for 10 years.

Due to an editing error, a previous version of the headline inaccurately described the men’s potential sentences.

This story was originally published September 20, 2018 at 4:11 PM.