Man found guilty of beating, dragging dog in Monterey sentenced to prison

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION)

UPDATE 4/16/2020 12:30 p.m. A man found guilty of animal cruelty and resisting arrest, 31-year-old Travis Cagle, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison by a Monterey County judge.

Cagle was given two years for animal cruelty, sixty days for resisting arrest and 180 days for probation violation.

PREVIOUS STORY: A man accused of animal cruelty and resisting arrest was found guilty by a jury Tuesday.

In August 2019, 31-year-old Travis Cagle was riding a bike on North Fremont Street in Monterey with his girlfriend's dog when they ran into each other. A person across the street then saw Cagle beat the dog several times before riding away on his bike while holding the dog off the ground by its leash.

The witness followed Cagle and saw him dragging the dog, but also pulling the dog up to shoulder height and throwing it to the ground. The witness called 911 and continued to follow Cagle and the dog.

Monterey police got there and tried to stop Cagle, but he rode away while still dragging the dog. The officer tried to stop him again, and Cagle threw the dog from his lap onto the ground. The witness got the dog from the eastbound lane of the road and took it into a nearby restaurant.

Cagle eventually crashed into the officer's motorcycle at Ramona Avenue and Fremont Street. He tried to run, but the officer tackled him as he was running toward Laguna Grande Park. Another person saw what was happening from his vehicle and stopped to help the officer put Cagle in handcuffs.

After the incident, several people, including the witness who followed Cagle, offered to take the one-year-old Pitbull. The dog was taken to the Monterey Peninsula Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Center. She had minor scrapes on her legs and was suffering from exhaustion.

Cagle will be sentenced next month and is facing up to four years in the Monterey County Jail.