WAYNESBORO — A woman who tossed a deceased puppy into a drainage ditch after it starved to death pleaded guilty Wednesday in Waynesboro to a charge of felony animal cruelty.
Nicole Jamison, 32, was sentenced to three years behind bars with all but 30 days suspended. She was immediately jailed following her guilty plea in Waynesboro Circuit Court.
Waynesboro Commonwealth’s Attorney David Ledbetter said on Oct. 13, a motorist in the 900 block of Hopeman Parkway called 911 and said they saw a woman in a pink robe standing on the side of the road tossing a black puppy into a drainage ditch. The woman then walked back to the Parkway Village apartments.
Police responded and found the dead puppy underneath a rock. Ledbetter said the canine was extremely emaciated. After police spoke to some residents at the apartment complex, Jamison was identified as a suspect.
Jamison, who told authorities she couldn’t afford to feed the puppy, admitted to putting it in the drainage ditch and placing a rock on top of its body. “The dog was already deceased when she’d done that,” said Ledbetter.