42-year-old Jason Johnson of Independence, IA, was found guilty of Animal Torture after severely beating his dog.
In May 2019, his family's dog chewed up a pair of sunglasses. Johnson held down the dog and repeatedly beat her with a his fists and with a belt. He instructed his son to record a portion of the beating and to distribute the video to his other children so that they would see what happens when the forget to put the dog in a kennel when they aren't at home.
His son reportedly shared the video with the police within a few days of the beating. He assaulted his son for doing this, which led to him being charged with Assault Causing Bodily Injury.
Johnson was convicted by a jury of Animal Torture this past Thursday. He will be sentenced at a later date. He faces up two years in prison and a fine as high as $6,250. He will also need to undergo a psychological evaluation.
Following his conviction, Johnson was charged with Violation of a No-Contact Order for making a comment to his son while still in court.
According to this news report, the dog removed from Johnson's custody by the Independence Police Department when they arrested him.