PEORIA, Ill. — A Peoria man caught on camera beating a dog last July is going to prison, a punishment the sheriff envisioned at the time of the man’s arrest.
Judge John Vespa sentenced Nicholas Prince, 39, to four years in prison for his guilty plea to animal torture. Prosecutors dismissed an animal cruelty charge.
“In this county, if you abuse an animal, you are absolutely going to jail,” said Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins in an August 3 Facebook post announcing Prince’s arrest.
Police said a video showed a man throwing a dog against the wall and punching the animal several times July 5 at a home on Woodruff Drive in Dunlap.
The dog did recover.
According to court records, Prince gets credit for 105 days he’s already served in jail.
