A North Carolina man who authorities say beat a mixed-breed pit bull puppy and set her on fire has been sentenced to six to eight months behind bars after pleading guilty.
The News & Record of Greensboro reported on Monday that 21-year-old Lashawn Whitehead pleaded guilty to burning personal property and felony animal cruelty. He also faces three years of supervised probation.
Whitehead told police he awoke in the middle of the night last July at his girlfriend's house to find the dog licking the couple's 1-month-old baby. He said he dripped lighter fluid all over the dog, beat her for 15 minutes and lit her on fire. The dog ran away, still burning.
The dog suffered burned ears and a broken jaw and teeth. She was found and adopted.
