DALLAS (AP) — A former animal shelter worker has been sentenced to three years probation for leaving her 5-month old puppy to starve to death in a soggy crate in her Plano apartment.
Twenty-four-year-old Alicia Marie Martin was also ordered Tuesday by Judge Mark J. Rusch to serve four days in jail during Thanksgiving week. And, she must serve time in jail over two weekends in December and pay a $500 fine.
If the probation is revoked for any reason, she must serve a full two years in state jail.
She told the judge that she moved out of her apartment for four days because her electricity had been cut off, and returned only once a day to care for the puppy named Bruce.
Martin was fired as a supervisor at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas.
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Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
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