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APPEALS COURT: Animal Torture Conviction Tossed


Zachary Scott Meerdink
[ http://www.bustedmugshots.com/iowa/davenport/zachary-scott-meerdink/39523532 ]

Posted on: 2:36 pm, July 10, 2013, by Staff Writer, updated on: 02:37pm, July 10, 2013

The Iowa Court of Appeals says a Muscatine man who beat a puppy to death with a baseball bat didn’t commit animal torture.

Zachary Meerdink was convicted of animal torture last year. The charge was filed after he beat a 4-month-old Boston terrier who urinated on the floor at his girlfriend’s home in Davenport.

The court agreed with Meerdink that the evidence fails to show he acted with a depraved or sadistic intent and his conviction was thrown out.

One judge said no one saw the beating and Meerdink didn’t seem happy afterwards.

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Copyright © 2013, WHO

http://whotv.com/2013/07/10/appeals-court-animal-torture-conviction-tossed/ [with comments] [more detailed article at e.g. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20130710/NEWS/130710011/Court-Killing-of-puppy-with-bat-wasn-t-torture (with comments)]