Man Who Threw ‘Frozen’ Dog In Dumpster To Die Escapes Jail

The Indiana man who was accused of throwing his dog in a dumpster to die after finding it frozen received no jail time after he pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge Monday.

Gordon Turentine, 62, originally received a sentence of a year in prison but the punishment was suspended and replaced with probation and a day of jail credit as part of his plea agreement. One of the conditions of his probation was to undergo classes at the Moral Reconation Program, which is aimed at correcting the tendency of a convicted criminal to re-offend.

Turentine, who owned a female dog named Remy, was accused of leaving his pet outside in the dog house when the temperature hit below freezing point on Jan. 30. When he discovered Remy frozen inside the dog house, the accused placed it in a dumpster instead of trying to save it.

“He picked up the dog and threw it away in a dumpster as if its life meant nothing. When we found the dog, it was emaciated and covered in trash,” the Indianapolis Animal Care Services wrote in a Facebook post. The dog was dead by the time it was found.

The police interviewed Turentine’s neighbors as well as the landlord, both of whom said that they had warned the accused not to leave his dog outside in the sub-zero temperature as it could prove potentially deadly for the animal. But he did not listen.

Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside (FIDO), an organization focused on improving the well-being of dogs, said that they were not satisfied with the outcome of the case.

“We’re not satisfied with this outcome for someone who knowingly caused this animal to suffer and die,” Darcie Kurtz with FIDO told local news outlet RTV6. “We’re all outraged about this case, but this is one of many dogs left to suffer and die in our community. You know I think as a society we want better for our animals and I think we need to let our elected officials and court systems know this isn’t acceptable. We want to do better.”

Fox 59 spoke to an anonymous local attorney – not connected to the case – who said that although cruelty to an animal charge was a misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of a year in jail, Marion County did give out probation as punishment for a first time offender.

FIDO also took to Facebook to express their dissatisfaction at the verdict Turentine received.

"FIDO staff and volunteer found Remy in the dumpster the next morning. Indianapolis Animal Care Services did their job and got an IMPD officer on the scene within minutes. The owner admitted that he left his dog outside to die. The IMPD officer did his job and within a day obtained a warrant for this man's arrest. The media did their job and widely covered this case, sending a message that animal cruelty such as this is worthy of attention and concern. However, our local courts failed Remy today, and by extension, the many other animals who also suffer and die at the hands of humans,” it wrote in a post.