Hope and Justice killers charged with Felony, to be tried as adults

The concepts of Hope and Justice were revived late last week when the two teens arrested for [allegedly] setting fire to, and fatally wounding, two pit bulls last week (named Hope and Justice) were arrested.

The teens, 17-year-old Lefferreio Sudds and 17-year-old Jucorey Davis, have been charged with a State Jail felony, which carries a maximum punishment of two years in prison. They will be tried as adults.

We hope justice will be done in this case. Animal cruelty is a felony in Texas and although a maximum penalty of two years in jail is a mere slap on the wrist, we believe that the full extent of the law needs to be applied in this case.

In case you’re wondering about Texas law as it relates to animal cruelty, here are a couple of points from a quick primer by the SPCA of Texas:

• House Bill 653 and Senate Bill 1724, commonly known as “Loco’s Law,” went into effect September 1, 2001, making animal cruelty a felony and punishable by a $10,000 fine and up to two years in jail.
• If prosecuted in a criminal case, a person may face penalties including fines, jail or both. Those under the age of 18 are also required to undergo counseling if convicted of animal cruelty.

People who perpetrate felonies like this need to be held accountable for their behavior – even if they never develop the compassion they are so sorely lacking, at least perhaps they can understand the concept of consequence. Perhaps a multi-pronged approach involving jail time, community service and an intensive counseling and rehabilitation program might turn these two miscreants around. It’s not likely that they will be dealt with in such a comprehensive manner, but we can hope – and in the meantime we’ll keep up our efforts to drive humane education into the community!