A New Hampshire man who police say fatally shot his dog after he thought it bit his 4-year-old son has pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge.
Foster's Daily Democrat reports 34-year-old Lee Thurston of Rochester was sentenced Monday to four months in county jail.
Police said the boy was playing with the pit bull in an apartment in March. Police said Thurston stuck the dog in a kennel and shot it dead with a hunting rifle after mistakenly believing that the dog had bitten his son on the head.
Thurston was admitted to a felony diversion program for discharging the weapon in an occupied apartment building. If he successfully completes the programs he will not be prosecuted on that charge.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
