NEW BOSTON, Texas–A Fort Worth man who threw a pocket pit bull over a second-floor balcony at a motel in New Boston last year was convicted Wednesday of felony animal cruelty by a Bowie County jury and sentenced to three years in a Texas prison.
Jerry Jermaine Mills, 39, was caught on video abusing the canine July 13, 2022, at the TexInn Motel at 906 McCoy Blvd. in New Boston, according to a probable cause affidavit. A witness reported to officers with the New Boston Police Department that they watched and recorded the animal mistreatment.
First Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp told TxkToday on Wednesday that the pup has been adopted by a new owner and is healthy and thriving despite the abuse suffered earlier in its life.
Mills hurled the dog over the second-floor railing onto the pavement below before walking downstairs, putting a leash on the dog and slamming it three times into the concrete. Mills kicked the dog in the face before dragging it up the stairs and kicking it as it tried to walk, according to the affidavit.
When confronted by investigators, Mills claimed he was “frustrated” and when asked about throwing the female pocket pit off a balcony, he said, “That ain’t beating the dog though.”
Crisp said Mills did not have a felony conviction until Wednesday’s guilty verdict. In addition to prison time, the jury ordered a $3,000 fine be paid by the first offender. Those funds will go to the State of Texas.
Opening statements and testimony in the case began Tuesday after jury selection at the Bowie County courthouse in New Boston before 202nd District Judge John Tidwell. Crisp and Assistant District Attorney Lauren Richards represented the state. Mills was represented by the Bowie County Public Defender’s Office.
