NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville man accused of animal cruelty and hoarding cats will spend "at least 90 days" in jail after pleading guilty Tuesday.
Martin Sandor will serve jail time as well as a year-long suspended sentenced, which includes a mental evaluation, being placed on the animal abuse registry and agreeing never owning or keeping any cats for the next 10 years. If he violates the suspended sentence, Sandor could face additional jail time.
Sandor's codefendant, Denise Sandor, was ruled incompetent to stand trial and could not be charged, according to Steve Hayslip, the Director of Communications for the Attorney General's office.
This case was handled by Elaine Cuthbertson, the Assistant District Attorney hired in March who handles animal abuse cases. Cuthbertson spoke with NewsChannel 5 in April after a plea deal didn't include a stipulation that the defendant couldn't own dogs in the future, which she called a "mistake on our office."
"We need to be committed to showing these people that they can't do this in our city," Cuthbertson said in April.
Cuthbertson said Tuesday that the penalties against Sandor is part of the District Attorney's efforts to take animal abuse cases seriously going forward.
"Not in my city," Cuthbertson said. "We will find them, we will stop them, and we will send them to jail."
"The DA's office vows to fight for jail time for animal abusers, even for a first offense," Hayslip said in today's release.
