Senate Passes Animal Cruelty Bill…Carter County Man Will Not Face Jail Time For Killing Four Dogs

Just as the United States Senate passes an animal cruelty law, a former Carter County dispatcher will not spend time in jail for killing four dogs and then dumping them out on Teaberry Road. Garrett Birchfield was arrested by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office in April after photos of dead dogs showed up on Social Media. Birchfield pleaded guilty to all counts that were amended to misdemeanors and was also granted judicial diversion. Birchfield will be on probation for two years and can petition to have the case removed from his record following his probationary period. Tuesday night the United States Senate approved the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act with bipartisan support. Certain types of animal cruelty will now be considered a