A Baton Rouge man accused of killing a woman’s dog in 2019 pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated cruelty to animals and was barred from owning an animal for the next three years.
State District Judge Eboni Johnson-Rose also required Timothy Leow, 29, to complete 26 weeks of domestic abuse programs and obtain a mental health evaluation and follow all recommendations.
The judge granted a lifetime protective order for the victim.
Leow has already served 2 1/2 years behind bars; he will get credit for that time and be put on probation for three years. If he violates that probation, he could serve a total of up to 8 years in prison
He cannot own an animal while on probation.
The Oct. 16, 2019, incident involving the woman’s dog was recorded on a camera set up in her Jefferson Highway apartment, Baton Rouge police have said.
An officer reportedly watched the video and observed Leow alone with the dog. Arrest records say the officer “observed coughing sounds from the dog” and “the dog’s nails scratching.” Police found blood smeared on the bathroom floor and bathtub. Leow’s pants were also at the scene with the dog’s blood on them.
Prosecutor Melissa Morvant said Leow was found guilty of a domestic abuse battery charge recently in Lafayette and is appealing that conviction.
In Baton Rouge, Leow was accused of choking a woman and killing her dog in separate incidents in 2019. Domestic abuse battery charges from the Baton Rouge incident were dismissed.
