Local News in Brief : Biker Who Kicked, Killed Dog Gets Jail Term, Fine for Cruelty

A Granada Hills man has been sentenced to 30 days in County Jail and ordered to pay more than $900 in fines for kicking a dog to death after the animal ran in front of his motorcycle.

Newhall Municipal Court Judge H. Keith Byram sentenced Terry Lane Dinwiddie, 24, on one count of cruelty to an animal for attacking the stray on June 7, 1984.

According to Janice Maurizi, deputy district attorney, Dinwiddie lost control of his motorcycle on Soledad Canyon Road in Saugus when the dog, which she described as a “medium-sized brown mutt,” ran in front of him.

Dinwiddie, who suffered cuts and bruises in the fall, then cursed the dog and began to kick it with his steel-toed boots as it tried to leave the road, Maurizi said.

A sheriff’s deputy who saw Dinwiddie attacking the dog ordered him to stop, but Dinwiddie continued to kick the dog until it died, Maurizi said.

“I think the sentence was appropriate, especially considering the malicious nature of it,” Maurizi said. “If he lost his temper to that extent and was unable to control his actions against an animal, you have to wonder what he would do if he got angry at a human being.”

Byram, who imposed the sentence Tuesday, ordered Dinwiddie to begin his jail term July 8. The sentence included $923 in fines, which includes $100 for a state fund for crime victims.