◼ Eureka dog killer sentenced to five years probation
The 22-year-old Eureka man who allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend's dog and later created a MySpace page to taunt the family was sentenced in Humboldt County Court on Tuesday.
Donavan Nathaniel Baltzley was given five years probation by Judge Joyce Hinrichs, who said that the “easy decision” would have been to send Baltzley back to prison. Baltzley pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in March and was sent to San Quentin state prison.
Hinrichs opted to suspend Baltzley's current three-year prison sentence in favor of a five-year probation that includes 1,000 hours of community service, one year of anger management courses as well as regular treatment with a psychologist and a restraining order that mandates Baltzley stay at least 100 yards away from the family of the dog, a poodle named Sarah Lou....
