Man Who Fed Needles To Neighbor's Dog Gets Jail Time

MONROE (WWJ/AP) - A Monroe County man who hid needles in meat that was eaten by a neighbor's dog has been ordered to serve 30 days jail after pleading no contest to animal cruelty.

Sixty-four-year-old Gary Pinchoff of Frenchtown Township was sentenced Thursday in Monroe County Circuit Court. He was credited one day for time already served. Pinchoff also must pay $539 in restitution to the dog's owner.

The dog's owner, Andy Wann, told state police in December that his 8-year-old Labrador retriever vomited 20 needles. According to the Monroe News, the needles were about a half-inch long, had their heads cut off and were concealed inside sections of cut-up hot dogs.

The Wann family was forced to euthanize their dog after a veterinarian found needles embedded in the animal's stomach and intestines.

Authorities say Pinchoff, the owner of two dogs himself, told them he put the tainted meat outside to rid his yard of animals that were damaging his garden. Pinchoff claims he didn't realize the dog would swallow the meat.

Pinchoff could have served up to four years in prison if convicted of the original charge of animal killing or torture.

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