A Florida woman caught on camera abusing a husky was sentenced to more than five years in prison Friday.
Elizabeth Haymes admitted to hitting the dog with a rubber mallet.she Hidden cameras captured the beating of Kimberly Jones’s husky, named Maya.
Prosecutors said James moved into a house in Tampa in August 2022 with her boyfriend, his mother and her mother’s dog. Dog abuse.
“My dog was living in fear for 151 days after what she did to Maya,” Johns said during the sentencing hearing. “This was a living thing and she just abused her over and over again.”
Florida woman brutally beats dog with rubber mallet caught on camera
Elizabeth Himes was sentenced to more than five years in prison. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Maya was a healthy dog when James moved in, but soon after, Johns began noticing wounds on the dog’s head and took her Go to the vet.
About a month later, Maya was taken back to the vet with twisted toenails. After a month, the dog will need six staples in his head. A few days later, Maya went to the vet again because she was having difficulty walking.
The veterinarian suspected some kind of abuse and suggested that Johns set up a video camera to capture what was happening to Maya.
Prosecutor Karry Becker told the judge: “Excluding ongoing abuse that began in August 2020, the defendant struck Maya 38 times with a mallet and hit her 26 additional times.”
Elizabeth James A hidden camera captured the beating of a husky named Maya. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Facebook)
The veterinarian who treated Maya said the husky suffered broken ribs and an injured spine, and some of her bones appeared to have been broken, healed and then re-broken, suggesting the abuse likely occurred before she was caught on camera.
Maya is now fine, but she was taken to a veterinarian for ongoing treatment with serious injuries.
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“I think it’s a miracle that Maya is still alive,” Pet Resource Center chief shelter veterinarian Dr. Jerrica Brooks said at the hearing.
Himes pleaded for leniency, claiming she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after previous abuse. She also said she had no recollection of Maya’s abuse as captured on camera.
Maya is now fine, but she was taken to a veterinarian for ongoing treatment with serious injuries. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
“I don’t remember what I did that day, I’ve been in therapy because I’ve never done anything like this. I’ve never laid my hands on anyone, but that doesn’t excuse it. So I just want to apologize,” Jaimes said.
Prosecutors and Johns did not believe Himes felt remorse for beating Maya.
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“One of us wouldn’t have a relationship with a human being, and she shouldn’t have a relationship with an animal,” Johns said.
“In my nearly 20 years as a prosecutor, I personally have never encountered a case of this severity,” said Hillsborough State’s Attorney Suzy Lopez. “The crimes were shocking. Shocking. Of course, the fact that the film captured it made the situation worse so the judge could see what Miss James did to Maya. Animal cruelty will not be tolerated in Hillsborough County. .
