Woman Who Kicked Neighbor's Puppy to Death Sent to Jail

LINTHICUM, MD — An Anne Arundel County woman convicted of killing a neighbor's Chihuahua puppy has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for the crime, and may not own animals, a judge ruled.

Sabrina Richards, 35, of Linthicum, was sentenced Sept. 7 to 30 days of active incarceration with one year of supervised probation and three years (less 30 days jail time) of backup time. Richards is also required to attend anger management, have no contact with the victims, pay $350 in restitution, and is prohibited from owning any more animals, prosecutors said.

"My office takes crimes against animals seriously," said Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Wes Adams in a statement. "Sentencing and jail time is not just meant to hold defendants accountable, a sentence also acts as a determent to those who might engage in similar behavior. Our hope is that this sentence sends a deterring message that harming animals will not be tolerated in Anne Arundel County. My office will continue to prosecute these cases and advocate for strong sentences against those who harm animals."

On June 20, Richards was charged with four counts of animal cruelty for fatally kicking her neighbor's three-month-old teacup Chihuahua, named Harley. The dog ran out the door when Richards and Jessica Miskiman argued, according to charging documents. After the fight ended Miskiman closed the door, realized that Harley was outside and yelled, "get my dog, she is going to kill my dog!"

Shortly after yelling this, Miskiman told police officers that she heard a loud yelp come from the puppy. She saw Harley laying in the grass about 10 feet from the bottom of the door steps. An officer wrote in his report, "I could see that Harley was clearly in pain and when set on the ground he was incapable of walking."

The puppy died soon after police arrived at the house.