MARIETTA, Ga. - A Marietta man who stomped his mother's dog to death will spend 2 years in prison and 8 years on probation.
Cobb District Attorney Vic Reynolds said in a news release that 21-year-old Darwin Kerrington Thompson pleaded guilty in March to aggravated cruelty to animals after beating the poodle mix, Brooklyn, to death in 2014.
Thompson's sentence had twice been delayed, first by a diluted and then positive drug screen and then a second time after he was admitted to a mental health institution.
Thompson's mother told the court that she felt responsible for not recognizing his emotional problems sooner and asked for an alternative to prison.
But Superior Court Judge A. Gregory Poole said he could not look past Thompson showing up to court on drugs.