David Etzel Bites Dog, Pops Eye Out Of Socket, Sentenced To One Year In Prison For Animal Cruelty


David Etzel, a Florida man who allegedly bit a small dog and strangled it so hard that its eye popped out of socket in April, has been sentenced to one year in prison.

In April, the Inquisitr reported that the 36-year-old man from South Florida was being held on a $10,000 bond in the Palm Beach County jail on charges of animal cruelty after he reportedly bit his mother’s Shih Tzu.

At the time of the incident, Etzel had been living at his mother’s home. Michelle Etzel, the Shih Tzu’s owner and David’s mother, said her son was drunk and was teasing her 2-year-old Shih Tzu, named Cujo, who she had rescued from a friend who was no longer able to feed him. Etzel kept messing with the small dog until he became agitated and nipped at him.

In retaliation, Etzel, who weighs 385 pounds and stands six foot eight inches tall, grabbed the pooch and bit him in the face, telling his mother, “He bit me, so I’m going to bite him.” At the same time, David had his hands around Cujo’s throat, strangling him so hard that when he put him back down, his eye was hanging from its socket.

About that time, Michelle’s other son woke up and helped her rush the dog to the Lake Worth animal hospital. While the veterinarian was able to place Cujo’s eye back in the socket, the poor dog will be blind in that eye for the rest of his life. The vet said Cujo’s injuries were similar to those he would have sustained had he been hit by a car or attacked by another small dog.

On the way to the veterinarian’s office, Michelle’s other son also called the authorities to report the animal abuse. When the police arrived at the home, they found David asleep. While he admitted that the dog had bit him, he alleged that he would never do anything to harm the dog in return, and definitely did not bite him back.

Cujo, who is one of Michelle’s three Shih Tzus, suffered serious injuries from the vicious attack, and had to have two eye surgeries as a result. Luckily, family members have helped Michelle pay the vet bills, which have totaled nearly $2,500.

According to the Palm Beach Post,David Etzel was convicted on Tuesday of felony animal cruelty, and on Friday, he was sentenced to one year in prison for biting the dog. David’s mother, Michelle, seemed to be satisfied with the verdict.

“I’m happy he was held accountable for what he did to my dog,” Michelle said. “My son needs alcohol treatment, and he needs anger management treatment.”

Assistant State Attorneys Judith Arco and Laura Burkhart Laurie tried to convince the jurors that Cujo had bit David first. However, Assistant Public Defender Jason Daron Gray argued that there would have been bite marks somewhere on David’s skin, but there wasn’t. It only took the jury 30 minutes to find Etzel guilty of the heinous crime. Along with his prison sentence, the Palm Beach judge also ordered David to attend anger management and alcohol treatment.

Do you think David Etzel received the appropriate punishment for his crime? Leave your comments below.

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