Demand Maximum Sentence for Cop Who Beat Dog to Death

Former St. Joseph County police officer Curt Seufert was scheduled to be sentenced on December 12 for beating his girlfriend's Akita, Lexi, to death. That same day, the judge in this case received a report containing "stipulating facts." In order to have time to review the report, the judge rescheduled sentencing for January 9.

The following are some of the "stipulating facts," as reported by the South Bend Tribune:

     • Lexi died "as a result of Seufert's conduct, but the evidence does not support the
       conclusion that Seufert intended to kill her."

     • The cause of death "was related to internal bleeding from a ruptured spleen,
       which is not an injury that a person could 'intend' as a practical matter, nor is it an
       injury that would be apparent after it occurred."

     • The evidence "shows two to three distinct injuries, including the injury to the
       spleen, which supports the conclusion that the incident occurred in a short period
       of time, most likely within seconds."

In Indiana, "A person who knowingly or intentionally beats a vertebrate animal commits cruelty to an animal, a Class A misdemeanor." Seufert pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cruelty to animals; as a result, it doesn't matter if he intended to kill Lexi and/or rupture her spleen. Nor does it matter if his cruel, cowardly, and savage attack "occurred in a short period of time." Seufert reportedly admitted to beating Lexi—after he got into an argument with his girlfriend about part-time jobs—and should therefore receive the maximum penalty allowed by law, which is one year in jail.

While the defense is fighting tooth and nail for Seufert—even explaining to the judge how Seufert is getting counseling and going to college with the hope of starting a new career—the South Bend Tribune reports that the county prosecutor "declined to comment [to the paper] on whether he thinks Seufert should receive any jail time." While the prosecution "intends to make a lot of comments at sentencing ... about the manner of death of the animal and the actions [her] owner took afterward," it is also "going to leave it to the court's discretion on what to impose," prosecutor Michael Dvorak told the newspaper.

In order to ensure a small measure of "justice" for Lexi and her human companion—who feared for her own safety and obtained a restraining order against Seufert—we must not simply "leave it to the court's discretion on what to impose." As soon as possible, please politely call on the judge in this case to sentence Seufert to one year in jail. Remind him that Seufert not only cruelly and sadistically beat a living, feeling dog to death but that he betrayed the trust of his girlfriend, the community, and the St. Joseph Police Department as well. Finally, the judge must be reminded of and/or made aware of the link between cruelty to animals and violence against people and know that unless a strong message is sent in this case, the cycle of violence which affects all of us will continue.

Please send polite comments to:

The Honorable John M. Marnocha
101 S. Main St.
South Bend, IN 46601
574-235-5097 (fax)

Also, please click here to ask the Office of the County Prosecutor to call on Judge Marnocha to impose the maximum sentence.