Galveston-area woman sentenced to 4 years for beating puppy to death with bat, admits was on drugs

Erica Folk was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to a charge of animal cruelty to a non-livestock animal, according to a release from the Galveston County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.

The three to four-month-old puppy was found by Folk’s bed with a crushed skull and “blood oozing from the animal’s ears and nose,” when officers were dispatched to her home in April 2018, according to the release. The puppy was owned by Folk’s landlord and had “wandered” into Folk’s home before the deadly attack, according to the release. Police found the dog unresponsive except for “some labored breathing and panting.”

During her hearing, Folk testified her reasoning for the attack was that she was under the influence of drugs and that the dog had been aggressive toward her in the past. She testified she was taking steps to stop using drugs and that she felt “ashamed of her actions and stated she was not herself when she killed the dog,” according to the release