Cop Who Beat Puppy to Death Sentenced to Jail

A Silver Spring man who was a Baltimore City police officer when he beat his girlfriend’s puppy to death after it defecated on the carpet has been sentenced to 12 months in jail.

Officers from the Montgomery County Police-Animal Services Division arrested Alec Eugene Taylor of Silver Spring for intentionally and cruelly killing Rocko, a seven-month-old puppy in February.

Taylor admitted he beat and choked the puppy, and texted his girlfriend a photo of the dog’s body, reports WJLA TV. Taylor, 28, pleaded guilty in August to animal cruelty, a felony, in Montgomery County Circuit Court, says Warren Brown, his lawyer.

Judge Richard Jordan sentenced Taylor Wednesday, saying “your actions were cruel, callous, and without any apparent regret,” reports The Washington Post.

The attack happened Feb. 26 at a residence in the 13800 block of Castle Boulevard in Silver Spring. The complainant, Taylor’s girlfriend, said Taylor had beaten and killed their Jack Russell terrier. The woman had received a text from Taylor stating that the dog, Rocko, had defecated on the carpet and Taylor had killed the dog; Taylor also texted a photograph of what appeared to be a lifeless dog.

In a follow-up phone call between the woman and Taylor, Taylor said that he was tired of cleaning up after the dog and that he had beaten the dog with a mop.

During the investigation, Animal Services Division officers also spoke with Taylor. He said he used a mop to force Rocko from behind the dryer and then used his hands to choke the dog.

Brown said the five-year veteran of the Baltimore department was under a lot of pressure and took his frustrations out on the dog. Brown asked that Taylor receive probation, which would allow his record to be expunged.

The Post reports that a Baltimore police spokeswoman said Taylor is no longer employed by the department, although his end date with the force wasn’t known.

»Alec Taylor of Silver Spring, a former police officer for the city of Baltimore, was sentenced to 12 months in jail for beating and choking his girlfriend’s puppy to death. Credit: WJLA TV screenshot