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Marine Who Beat Girlfriend's Dog Says He's Sorry
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 15, 2010
Modified Jul 15, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 15, 2010
Modified Jul 15, 2010
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The Marine who nearly beat his girlfriend's Yorkie dog to death in January has received a no-jail deal that the Post reports will leave him with no record. Instead, he will serve 200 hours of community service.
The six-pound dog was under the care of 30-year-old Joseph Graves when his girlfriend, Broadway actress Ashley Yeater, was out of town. During that time he kicked and whipped the dog so brutally that he was left with six broken ribs. The dog, Emmit, also had to have his left eye removed as a result of the ordeal. Allegedly there is surveillance video showing that the dog bit his hand before he lashed out, however, afterwards Graves took him for a walk and he looked healthy. It wasn't until two days later he noticed the dog was ill, and took him to the vet.
According to the paper, Graves—also a Harvard Business School graduate—left the courtroom yesterday hand-in-hand with Yeater. She told the press of her dog's status, saying: "He's fine!" The happy couple were reunited after Graves spent 40 days at Rikers, and Yeater says he has since apologized. But "I'm sorry" doesn't cut it in the real world. Graves has been receiving hate mail from animal activists, and Yeater wants them to back off—yesterday she declared, "Society really has to get its priorities straight. I mean, this is a dog."
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abuse
Ashley Yeater
dog
Emmit
Joseph Graves
yorkie
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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