ATLANTA — A man seen on video scaring his dog by lighting fireworks near the animal appeared in court Tuesday.
William Scaffidi was charged with animal cruelty after the video went viral last month.
He plead no contest and agreed to pay a $500 fine. He will get to keep the dog after the judge determined that it was not physically harmed, and there were no legal grounds to seize the animal.
Cellphone video, which was captured by Scaffidi's daughter, shows him lighting fireworks on his porch, which appears to scare his Husky mix, Betty Boop.
Scaffidi said he didn’t know the dog was there.
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“It wasn’t a prank. A lot of people say, ‘You put the plants there to trap the dog.’ That’s not true,” he said.
Thousands of people were outraged by the video. Several protesters showed up outside court on Tuesday.
“We hope that they do throw the book at him, as you can see from our signs. We want to send a message that this is not tolerated. People don’t agree with this,” animal rights activist Melody Paris said.
Scaffidi quietly admitted he was sorry as he left the courtroom.
Cox Media Group
