MARIN COUNTY — A Sausalito man charged with choking his Australian shepherd and holding its head under water was sentenced Tuesday to more than four months in the county jail.
Tab Mitchell, 46, was sentenced to a 135-day term stemming from his conviction on two animal cruelty charges, a felony and a misdemeanor, said Deputy District Attorney Aicha Mievis.
Mitchell was also ordered to receive anger management counseling and was forbidden to own pets. He was sentenced by Judge Kelly Simmons.
"There is a fine line between cruelty toward animals and violence toward people," Mievis said. "It is appropriate for the court to take animal cruelty cases seriously, as was done in this case, in an effort to keep the community safe."
Mitchell was arrested last May on his sailboat in Richardson Bay, where witnesses saw the abuse take place. The dog, a female named Shaland, was turned over to the Marin Humane Society and eventually adopted.
After the judge determined there was sufficient evidence to hold a trial, Mitchell settled the case with a no-contest plea. The felony conviction could be stricken later if Mitchell remains law-abiding during his probationary period.
"Tab's a good guy who had a bad moment, and he's taking responsibility for his bad moment," said Ford Greene, Mitchell's defense attorney. "He acknowledged that he had lost control. He's had a rough history of childhood abuse, and that contributes to losing control."
Mitchell, who is free on bail, is scheduled to surrender to the jail on Jan. 7 to begin his sentence.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_13816021?nclick_check=1
Subject: Man sentenced in dog choking case 
Wed Nov 18, 2009 5:47 pm
OMG!!! Thats just wrong!!!