Santa Rosa man gets jail for knocking out dog

A Santa Rosa man who beat his dog in a Wal-Mart parking lot, knocking her out, was sentenced Wednesday to 14 months in jail.

Jason Terrance Fletcher, 38, punched and kicked his Rhodesian-type dog named Molly during an April 13 incident at the Rohnert Park store, prosecutor Brian Staebell said.

Witnesses said Fletcher “aggressively removed” the dog from a car before slamming her to the ground and beating her to unconsciousness, Staebell said.

He later told Rohnert Park Police Officer David Sutter the dog could “take it” because of her breed, Staebell said. Also, Fletcher said he was trying to train her and she would not listen, the prosecutor said.

Fletcher went on to say Rhodesians are “untrainable and need a hard wake-up,” Staebell said.

Fletcher pleaded no contest in May to felony animal abuse. On Wednesday, Judge Peter Ottenweller handed down the prison sentence, to be served locally. Under state law, he will be eligible for release after serving half the time.

Fletcher is barred from owning or caring for animals during a two-month period of post-jail supervision.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.