MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — He beat a dog on camera. Now he’s paying the price—with the longest prison sentence Florida law allows.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) said Donald Stickins was sentenced to five years in state prison — the maximum penalty allowed under Florida law — for the brutal beating of a golden retriever named Stella, a case that sparked outrage across the community last summer.
The sheriff’s office said Stickins, 24 at the time of his arrest, was caught on video repeatedly strangling and punching the 9-year-old dog. The disturbing footage showed Stella being lifted off the ground by her neck, hung by her leash, and struck in the face. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office arrested Stickins in August 2024 on felony animal cruelty…