Chihuahua Killer Sentenced to Probation
Animal Rights Activists Angered that Kyle Barbre Received No Jail Time
Kyle Barbre, charged in June with animal cruelty after fatally injuring his one-year-old Chihuahua named Floyd, was sentenced Tuesday to three years of felony probation. Barbre is also not allowed to own an animal for 10 years and continues to undergo mental health and anger management counseling.
Prosecutors had asked that Barbre, 21, be sentenced to a year in jail in addition to probation, but Judge Clifford Anderson, citing Barbre’s progress in counseling and lack of criminal history, suspended the jail term.
Barbre adopted Floyd from the County Animal Shelter on April 6. On the evening of May 23, according to Animal Rescue Team director Julia di Sieno, who happened to be working the team’s 24/7 rescue hotline that night, Barbre’s distressed girlfriend called to report the dog’s abuse. Di Sieno called 9-1-1, prompting Sheriff’s detectives to launch an investigation out of Barbre’s apartment on Armitos Avenue in Goleta, where he lived with his father.
