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Raymond Spyker, left, with his attorney, David Glancy.
Amber Township man sent to jail for cat torture.
#MasonCountyCourtNews
By Allison Scarbrough. Editor.
LUDINGTON — A 34-year-old Amber Township man was sentenced to serve 30 days up front of a one-year discretionary jail term and $495 in restitution for veterinary bills Tuesday, Sept. 26, in 51st Circuit Court for injuring his then-girlfriend’s cat last April.
The cat, named Socks, ended up losing a leg as a result.
Raymond David Spyker, of 1503 W. US 10, was arrested April 8 by the Mason County Sheriff’s Office on felony charges of killing/torturing an animal and abandoning/cruelty of an animal.
Spyker pleaded guilty to killing/torturing an animal, and the animal abandonment/cruelty charge was dismissed.
“The girlfriend left the house and when she returned later she found the cat severely injured,” Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole said previously. “The cat was getting treatment by a veterinarian and ended up losing its leg. The cat has survived, however.”
“It’s important for you to understand that while the law may look at someone’s pet as property, for most pet owners, a pet is a family member,” said Judge Susan K. Sniegowski. “Your decision to not let anyone know it was injured and that you left it outside showed that you just didn’t care what happened to this animal at all. You acted out at (the victim).”
Spyker has three prior misdemeanor convictions involving alcohol, the judge said.
Sniegowksi allowed work release. Spyker will be placed on an electronic tether for two months following his release from jail. He was also ordered to serve one year and six months of probation. He received credit for two days served in jail.
Sentencing guidelines in the case were zero to six months.
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