A man was sentenced to three years in prison for the beating of his girlfriend's seven-pound puppy in 2020.
Gary Moore, now 39, pleaded guilty in July to third-degree animal cruelty.
Moore's upset girlfriend called police Jan. 7, 2020, saying she found her puppy beaten and stuffed between the mattress and box spring of her bed, according to information previously released.
She came across the badly beaten Yorkshire Terrier, named Mommas, after coming home from work and not being able to find the dog.
Moore was arrested and released. He as listed as an Atlantic City resident at that time, but the Prosecutor's Office now has him as a Camden resident.
Moore was sentenced Friday, and taken into custody. He is currently in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending transfer to state prison.
The case began as a joint investigation between the Atlantic City Police Department and the Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit of the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
Moore was ordered to pay restitution to the Prosecutor's Office for the fees incurred in conducting a necropsy on the puppy. He will also be required to complete community service as part of his sentence as the law requires.
Residents are urged to report any instances of animal abuse or neglect to their local police department.
Each police department in Atlantic County has a designated Humane Law Enforcement Officer that has specialized training in identifying and investigating animal abuse and neglect. Animal abuse and neglect complaints can be made by calling your local police department's non-emergency number and providing all relevant information to the department's Human Law Enforcement Officer.
