Dog lovers are applauding a judge’s sentencing against a woman accused of horrifically abusing a puppy in Detroit. The suspect was accused of beating a puppy and attempting to throw him into a river before police arrived to stop her.
Luckily for the dog, police and detectives with Utica Police Department managed to stop the suspect in time. It was a cold January in Macomb County, MI when, according to reports, Amber Sunde was seen by witnesses throwing the injured puppy into the Clinton River. The puppy crawled out of the water several times and approached her before she tried to get rid of him again, MLive.com reported.
After being rescued by the officers Lux was taken to Detroit Pit Crew Dog Rescue where they say a medical exam revealed that the puppy had suffered a lot of abuse in his short life.
Lux was suffering from a fractured skull and two broken legs as result of the beating. Also “X-rays revealed that Lux has both old and new injuries which would indicated that in his short 6 months of life he endured continued abuse at the hands of his owner,” Detroit Pit Crew wrote on Facebook.
There were several setbacks in the court proceedings with a plea deal being offered for the defendant at one point. But throughout the trial animal lovers showed up to get justice for Lux.
Although there were delays in the Detroit court proceedings, on June 23, 2021, Judge James Biernat handed down his sentence against Amber Sunde, Lux’s former owner. The sentence includes jail time and a ban for Sunde to ever own animals again. Lux’s rescuers say is a “victory.”
They wrote that: “Judge Beirnat stated that the defendant, Amber Sunde, did NOT qualify for mental health court, and he has sentenced her to 6 months jail (the judge went above the sentencing guidelines), 2 years probation, 60 hours community service, she is to pay restitution to Detroit Pit Crew for Lux’s medical bills and she is NOT to own any more animals.”
“As an organization that participates in many animal cruelty cases this sentence is considered a victory. A HUGE thank you and shout out to everyone that stood up and spoke for Lux!! We are also happy to report that Lux has been adopted and is doing well at this time,” they continued. They added their thanks to Judge Biernat for “going above the sentencing guidelines.”
Over the past 6 months Lux, now named Finn, has recovered fully.
Finn has since been adopted by the officer involved in saving her life!
Finn made an appearance with her new dad at a recent charity event with Detroit Pit Crew and he was all smiles!
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