Gizmo Case: Crawford Sentenced, Davis Took Plea Deal

Posted on September 10, 2007
Updated on September 17, 2008

UPDATE:
Convicted of misdemeanor animal cruelty by a jury, Chad Daniel Crawford  was sentenced to 30 days in jail and 11 months of probation on December 7, 2007.  Judge Monte Watkins also reportedly ordered that he receive a psychological evaluation. Previously scheduled to face a jury trial, Michael Lee Davis pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor vandalism while the misdemeanor charge of aggravated cruelty to animals was dismissed. On August 14, 2008, Judge Watkins ordered a suspended jail sentence of 11 months and 29 days, putting Davis on unsupervised probation for that length of time.

Here is an article on Crawford’s conviction.

Man Found Guilty Of Kicking, Killing Dog
Tennessean.com, October 22. 2007

ISSUE:
(Nashville, Tennessee) After allegedly killing Gizmo, a neighbor’s two-pound Yorkshire terrier, Michael Lee Davis and Chad Daniel Crawford were arrested in 2004. Davis, 21, was arrested that October and charged with intentionally killing an animal and aggravated cruelty to animals. Crawford, 24, had been charged earlier with cruelty to animals and vandalism. Both pleaded not guilty. Crawford was accused of "punting" the animal like a football while Davis held the 17-year-old dog to the ground - laughing when the dog landed, dead.  At least one neighbor came forward to offer an eyewitness account of the April 2004 killing.

Victor S. Johnson III, District Attorney General
20th Judicial District, Davidson County
Washington Square, Suite 500
222 2nd Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37201-1649

The Honorable Monte Watkins
Criminal Court, Division 5
Justice A. A. Birch Building
208 2nd Ave. North
Nashville, TN  37201

Case #2004-C-2418