A man from McLennan County, Texas, has been sentenced to five years in prison and one year in county jail on charges related to a viral video last year that showed him brutally beating a dog, as well as a firearms offense, according to local news.
As part of a plea agreement with the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office, Thomas Joshua Reynolds pleaded guilty to two counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In September 2025, surveillance cameras outside a business in Lacy Lakeview, Texas, recorded Reynolds yanking a dog’s leash, lifting the animal off the ground, striking him, and throwing him to the ground.
“An accurate way to describe it is just disgusting,” said Tyler Ziegler, a detective with the Lacy Lakeview Police Department. “It’s abhorrent behavior that anybody could treat any kind of human or animal life in that manner.”
Beyond the violence documented in the footage, Reynolds was also found to have failed to provide the dog with proper care, including necessary veterinary attention.
Fortunately, the dog survived and was placed in the custody of the Lacy Lakeview Police Department following a court hearing shortly after the attack.
He has since found a permanent home with Officer Nathan Rodriguez and was given the name Chase after a character from the children’s television series PAW Patrol.
Lady Freethinker is grateful to the authorities for treating this case with the seriousness it deserved and for helping secure accountability for the abuse inflicted on this innocent dog.
